Maiintaining Maple Tree Health + Maximum Sap Income

[OrangeAgain]

I plan on selling sap from a 4000+ tap bush on our newly acquired farm which is being managed to a Forest Management Plan. It's unclear at this time whether I will invest in a pipeline or a sap buyer will. I would like to maximize the income from sap sales but I want to assure that I or a sap buyer don't harm the health or future production of the bush. Should the sap buyer invest in the pipeline, I am aware a long-term lease is reasonable. I would love to create a list of practices which I should watch out for that might harm the future production of the bush. These practices likely will be included in any long-term lease.

[unc23win]

The University of Vermont's Proctor Maple Research Center is a wealth of knowledge about a subject such as maintaining tree health. They have tapping guidelines published on the site and last year they published the Tapping Zone Model which is an excel document, which can be used to determine if the tapping practices being used are good for the tree and its sustainability. http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/

Cornell University also has published tapping guidelines. http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu/

[spud]

I plan on selling sap from a 4000+ tap bush on our newly acquired farm which is being managed to a Forest Management Plan. It's unclear at this time whether I will invest in a pipeline or a sap buyer will. I would like to maximize the income from sap sales but I want to assure that I or a sap buyer don't harm the health or future production of the bush. Should the sap buyer invest in the pipeline, I am aware a long-term lease is reasonable. I would love to create a list of practices which I should watch out for that might harm the future production of the bush. These practices likely will be included in any long-term lease.

If you lease your woods you will get about $1.00 per tap so about $4000. I do not know your financial situation but if you have any money to spend then you should do it yourself. You do not need to set up all 4000 for next season. Start small if you have to and then expand when you make some money. To sign a ten year lease means $40,000 for you and $400,000 for them over the next ten years. The question is how bad do you need some lease money? If you don't need the $4000 then don't sign the lease. I think you would regret a lease in the years to come.

Spud

[GeneralStark]

As Spud said, it will be a better investment for you to own the system and sell the sap than it would be to lease to someone else. That said, it totally depends upon your situation. I would suggest you shoot for more than $1/tap if it is a vacuum system and easy access with power nearby. You could probably get up to $2/tap if it is worth it for the producer. Not sure where the land is in VT, but around here people are doing whatever they can to get a lease, and $2/tap is still good money for the producer. I was paying $1.50 in a previous situation.

There are many ways to write the lease if you go that route. You could install the system and lease at a higher rate for 3-5 years and then use it yourself, or you could have the producer do everything for a lower rate. Consider your long-term plans with the land and how to best generate income for yourself in the long-term.

In terms of things to consider related to tree health and best practices, this will also relate to how you write the lease so be sure to include everything in writing. The VT organic standards: http://nofavt.org/sites/default/files/2013%20VOF%20Maple%20Guidelines_0.pdf could be a good place to start in terms of management ideas, tapping guidelines, and other factors.

Proctor's example lease is a good place to start as well: http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmaple/sugarbushlease.pdf
As the landowner, it is your responsibility to provide clear expectations and boundaries (literally and figuratively) for the producer. The more you can do this for the producer or renter, the better the relationship will be.

[J. hutchins]

One thing, is if you are selling sap, it will be a pretty major time investment. Installation, fall maintenance, tapping, vacuum maintenance, clean up. It is doable but, 4000 taps is quite a bit of work, especially if you have a 9-5 job.

[OrangeAgain]

As Spud said, it will be a better investment for you to own the system and sell the sap than it would be to lease to someone else. That said, it totally depends upon your situation. I would suggest you shoot for more than $1/tap if it is a vacuum system and easy access with power nearby. You could probably get up to $2/tap if it is worth it for the producer. Not sure where the land is in VT, but around here people are doing whatever they can to get a lease, and $2/tap is still good money for the producer. I was paying $1.50 in a previous situation.

Our sugar bush is located in Albany, VT.

The $2/tap you mention. Is that if I have the pipeline & vacuum system installed or the sap buyer?