Sugar Content

[spud]

Studies have shown that the sugar in a maple tree is greater higher in the stem. More sap can be extracted by tapping low but more sugar is found higher in the stem. Has any research been done on sugar contents and sap amounts from tapping high verse low? If the sugar is 1.8% three feet from the ground what would it be at the 16 foot mark? What would the difference be in GPT of sap. Should a person with 50-100 taps in their backyard think about buying a ladder? I am not seeing anything on the PMRC site about this but I thought I read something from Dr. Tim a few years back about sugar in the stem.

Spud

[DrTimPerkins]

Studies have shown that the sugar in a maple tree is greater higher in the stem. More sap can be extracted by tapping low but more sugar is found higher in the stem. Has any research been done on sugar contents and sap amounts from tapping high verse low? If the sugar is 1.8% three feet from the ground what would it be at the 16 foot mark? What would the difference be in GPT of sap. Should a person with 50-100 taps in their backyard think about buying a ladder? I am not seeing anything on the PMRC site about this but I thought I read something from Dr. Tim a few years back about sugar in the stem.

Very good question Spud. Yes, in general sugar content tends to be very slightly) higher as one moves higher in the stem (closer to where the sugar was produced in the leaves), but sap quantity is slightly higher as one goes lower in the stem (higher head pressure, although somewhat mitigated by vacuum). So the two generally balance out, and you're left with tapping in a place that is the simplest....unless you really like lugging a ladder around the woods.

I did a presentation on this at the Hyde Park meeting last year, and will be doing it this year in Bellows Falls.