GUILTY,,,, Circumference VS. Diameter

[TerryEspo]

I make this post to maybe help other beginner people that are choosing what trees to tap. I would say 30% of my trees have been below the size I am supposed to be tapping.

For a couple years now I have tapped too small of trees due to a misunderstanding of circumference and diameter. I would tap a tree if my two hands could NOT reach around the trunk, (that is at least 10",) (circumference) that is still way too small of a tree from what I have been reading.

What harm have I done to the smaller trees that I have tapped in the past? They did not die. I have used 5/16 health spiles, thank goodness.

Time to find more trees that qualify, problem is they are hard to get to.

My tap count may decrease, but also my production may increase.

Hope I can help at least a few people with this post.

Good luck everyone this season.

Terry

[markct]

I wouldnt lose sleep over it, they are unlikely to die, they will maybe lose a little production over many years but that's all. I have trees as small as 4 inch I been tapping, one is a tree that is growing near our shop, it will have to be cut down before it ever reaches maturity so I been tapping it, drilling it deeper than usual to get as much sap as possible. been 5 years now its still growing well. many others I have clusters of 3 or 4 trees that I tap alternately, one tree one year, next one over the next season etc. On small trees I usualy tap very shallow as that makes less damage also

[treeguy]

wow :-)

Good trees you should not be able to get your arms around

[lmathews]

A tool that I carry in the woods is a 25.5" old piece of tubing. At that length wrap around the tree at breast high and it gives you a tree with at least an 8"+ diameter.I also carry a 60" piece for 19"+ diameter trees for a 2nd tap.Takes all the guess work out of it.

[wiam]

A tool that I carry in the woods is a 25.5" old piece of tubing. At that length wrap around the tree at breast high and it gives you a tree with at least an 8"+ diameter.I also carry a 60" piece for 19"+ diameter trees for a 2nd tap.Takes all the guess work out of it.
I have heard of guys that do this with a piece of string trimmer line. Does not take much room in the pocket. Cut to longer length and put a piece of black tape at shorter one. I guess on smaller ones and if I can not touch finger tips when putting my arms around it gets 2.

[Schiefe4]

http://www.stanleytools.com/default.asp?CATEGORY=HT_TAPES_POWERLOCK&TYPE=PRODUCT&PARTNUMBER=33-115&SDesc=10%26%2339%3B+x+1%2F4%22+PowerLock%26%23174% 3B+Pocket+Tape+Rule+%28with+Diameter+Scale%29

[maple flats]

I go by eye for 10" and use my arms to try to reach around the tree for 2 taps. I don't put 3 in any. I also train my help to measure the same way. The guess for one tap seems to vary the most, but generally they measure in the 9-11" on the small end all at chest high.

[WESTMAPLES]

I usually don`t tap anything less than 10 inch but last year along side of one bushes I put in about 42 taps with some used line and taps in very small maybe 3-4 in maples that lined the sunny edge of the field, because this coming summer 2015 I will be removing them to reclaim 20 feet of the entire edge of the field they line. I had a concerned local sugarmaker kinda bitch me out over it, because it looked bad on the entire sugaring community to do it that way, but after talking to him for a few minutes and taking him for a ride to show him what the upcoming plan was he lighten up abit . now ive got another friend instead of a foe. and I think its a good way to get something out of the small maples before they are firewood.

[maple flats]

I also have at times tapped trees planned for removal that were undersized. However, those were in my bush, off the road and out of sight. In my leases I have no thinning rights, but I can and do suggest to the land owners some that should be removed and why. Sometimes it works, often not.

[WESTMAPLES]

luckily it was on my property and the guy had only saw them because he was bein abit nosie ( he was spying to see if my setup was better than his lol ) and he thought i was doing tours or something which i wasn`t it will all work out in the end, and he understood that after. he was just worried others would get the wrong idea and start tapping every little tree in sight