Striped Maple

[Ittiz]

I have a few on my property, none are all that big (they are generally a small tree). I have one that is almost tapping size. I pricked a small hole in it to see if it would run and it seems to quite well. Also the sap seems to taste sweeter to me than the red maples I have. I was wondering if anyone has tapped striped maples? If so what sugar content do they have?

[happy thoughts]

I've read they're tappable if big enough but never heard of anyone that did. Could be your chance to experiment. Since they tend to be understory trees my guess is that sugar content might be low because of lack of sunlight but on the other hand they may be well adapted to producing lots of sugar under shady conditions. I know they are fast growers given the right conditions. I have seen some out in the open with massive sized leaves.

[Ittiz]

They do make giant leaves, often bigger than my hand. Ironically the only "big" one I have is also the only one in the woods surrounded by big old white pines. Seems to be running anyway though. The others are growing in sunnier locations, but I think they are progeny of the one growing in the woods.

[Pablo]

I have lots of small striped Maples (under 3").
I have never seen any big enough to tap.
In winter and spring the moose eat them, at a certain point in spring they must taste great because all the buds get mowed.

[Ittiz]

I have lots of small striped Maples (under 3").
I have never seen any big enough to tap.
In winter and spring the moose eat them, at a certain point in spring they must taste great because all the buds get mowed.

Protect some maybe they'll get bigish. I have one that's about 30 feet tall. It's too tall for even the large animals to reach all but the lowest branches. Porcupines love the bark more than any other tree around though. I love the way the bark looks, but the porcupines start stripping it off as soon as the tree is big enough to get noticed.

[Pablo]

If a moose wants to eat that tree there is little I can do to protect it. The farm down the road had a moose take out about 300' of page wire fence (5 yrs old) just walking through it. They hate when a moose decides to feed with the cows.
I like the look of the bark also, smooth and the striping is kind of neat. I didn't realize porcupines liked them, we have a porcupine that we see in winter in the hemlocks. I will keep an eye on the striped maples in the area for teeth marks.
Thanks for the info.

[Ittiz]

Yeah the porcupines seem to over winter in the hemlocks. Though one over wintered in a big old oak this year and stripped most of the cambium off everywhere above the trunk level. Usually they girdle the striped maples after the snow melts.