Thoughts on this year

[SUGARSMITH]

What is the general consensus this year with the sap quantity. I am in NW Connecticut and so far I am very disappointed with the amount of sap I have collected. I have out about 400 taps and tonight will be my first boil, having collected about 500 gals of sap.
I hope I am just anxious and things will improve. What has the experience of others been ? Would love to hear what happened to those in the southern region, compared to this year and last year.

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[Fred Henderson]

I don't think that the season has really started yet. Everything has started later. Like real winter was last getting here. Ths may be a Jan thaw.

[dhbiker1]

I have felt the same way, have made 1 gallon so far. Out of my 30 taps, only about a third of them produced the majority of sap. I can't figure out why some of my trees have been running and others have done nothing. For the trees producing nothing, I figured the past two weeks they hadn't thawed and now this week it hasn't gotten under 32 the past couple nights and they still haven't run anything. I have had about 5 or so reds (I think) that went nuts a couple days and produced most of the sap I collected. I think starting this weekend there will be a good run. Also, I have noticed a lot of junk in the syrup and the filtering has been a real pain.

[ebourassa]

well here in eastern ct i have collected a little over 800 gals of sap form 375 taps and made about 18 gals so far. I tapped 2.5 weeks ago. I really was expecting more especially earlier in the season with the warm weather we have been having. I know there is a good 12-18" of frost in the ground. I remember so one telling me when you have little snow there will be little sap, seems to be true so far this year. hopefully the trees will open up and give a plenty of sap to finish the season.

[PF]

I have 20 taps and made 3 quarts so far. I'm a bit disappointed with that but hope my roadsides will cooperate this weekend. I didn't tap any reds this year because I got tired of all the filtering but this season that's all I'm doing even with the sugars. My thoughts - it's a big mess and a lot of cleanup for three quarts!

Central CT

[lightsteve]

So far i have made one galllon from my 30 taps. lots of junk in the sap for me too. now things are at a standstill. still hoping for a lot more...

[SapSipper]

Strange year - my larger (huge) trees are providing the majority of the sap. Little trees next to nothing with some of them dry!

We've made about 5-6 gallons of syrup and have pretty much decided to pack it in for the year. Out of 30 or taps we just are not getting the sap we need to keep the 2x6 cranking.

Fun while it lasted and plenty of syrup in the fridge for the year. When is everyone else gonna pack it in?

[325abn]

PACK IT IN???

I think you may be jumping the gun a little. It is certainly a slow start (I think) but its just begining.
Hang in there for a few more weeks and the flood will come! (I hope).

[danno]

"I remember so one telling me when you have little snow there will be little sap, seems to be true so far this year. hopefully the trees will open up and give a plenty of sap to finish the season.[/QUOTE]"


I've heard that as well, but here in Central NY we had a huge snow pack for us just before the thaw a couple of days ago. Decent run Sat.-Tues., now quited down. But by March 15 I assume more than 3 or 4 days of sap. Just fickle weather.

It's reminding me of last year where we had a warm winter followed by a serious freeze from 2/15-3/15ish, then a good run followed by the end of the season by 3/31. So, two decent weeks.

Early next week looks good but out local weather guys are barking for HOT weather by late next week. If you see that nation wide temps, this looks like a good possibility. This weekend the only place it will be cold is the NE. Rest of the nation is flooding with warm weather.

I'm not giving up and will make dark!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I don't agree with the little snow theory because here in WV we don't usually have much snow especially around syrup season and I usually get fairly good sap flow. So far this year 4,170 gallons from 500 taps and looks like we will get one more run.

I do agree that the prescense of snow on the ground helps sap flow simply because it keeps the ground cooler and puts water in the ground.

[TapME]

for me here in ME I don't think it has even started. Need to thaw the ground around the trees a little before we get a good run. On the other side at this time last year we were a week from almost being done. Had yellow sap run last week of March, and started pulling taps. Looking forward to a monster season in the next month. Sap hauler is antsy. Hope everyones season is long.

[Russell Lampron]

It has been slow here in NH so far. I was expecting some better runs than we had this past week. Now it is cold and snowing and doesn't look like ideal sap run weather for next week. I have made alot of syrup in years when we haven't had much snow and have made little syrup in years when there was alot of it. We will know how it all turns out in a couple of weeks.

Russ

[andrew martin]

I've already "packed it in" for this year, trying to clean my buckets in my "spare time" and put them away for next year. The daffodils and hyacinths are blooming here and I am trying to catch up on my estimates for the coming summer. The housing market may have slowed here, but the remodel market is jumping, and I am already planning jobs for October and November.

Anyway, I thought last year was a better run for us in Kentucky. I was a little disappointed with sap flow this year and it never really got to a good tipping point with the weather - either too cold or too warm. Snow in Kentucky that stays more than three days is a rarity, so I cannot offer any thoughts on snow pack and frost depth contributing to sap flow. I think I may tap earlier next year, perhaps a week or two earlier depending on weather in order to get an 8 week season. Good luck to you guys.

Andrew

[JasonS]

I have had the worst year since since I have been making syrup (only 5 years). I tap trees in Danbury, New Milford, Roxbury, Litchfield and Sharon. There is about and hour difference between the southern trees in Danbury and the Northern trees in Sharon. The southern trees have been just slighty below normal while everything north has been almost dry. Out of 150 taps I have only gotten 288 gallons of sap. The past few years have been below average but in the past I have had about 1000 gallons for the year. I'm hoping this is all because the ground is still very cold and frozen??? I'm still waiting for those big runs where I can't keep up with it. Hopefully the season is just a little late, however we are running out of time, I usally pull my taps around the first weekend of April. Maybe this year we can squeeze in another weekor two. However this latest snowfall (14") isn't going to help the ground thaw at all. My plan is to wait and not pull my taps until I'm 100% sure it's over. There is way too much setup and cleanup to call it quits now. I have never had this much time for other things during maple season.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Don't get to discouraged yet, you may make a banner crop in 2 to 3 weeks.

[Homestead Maple]

Anyone ever made syrup in June before?

[Dave Y]

Not June ,but I did hear of a old timer that made it in May!

[andrew martin]

Last year was the first year I kept records for syrup production, and it occurred to me that this year was a bad year, compared to last year. Last year, in only two weeks of tapping and boiling, we made 1.5 pints per tap. THis year, with a seven week season, we made only 1 pint per tap. If I had left my taps in for seven weeks last year, I would have probaby made 1.5 quarts per tap. THis year was a BAD year, and I hope you guys up North have a better year than I did. Looking forward to next year already, if I can only get my buckets clean. I dislike clean up, but it needs to be done.

Andrew

[andyp]

The season got off to a slow start here this year. We didn't have much of aflow in feb, but last week we had a marathon run. It ran day and night for 5 days except for one night it stopped. Right now we have about half of what we made last year.It ran some today,and tomorrow looks like a good day. If we have 2 or 3 more weeks with a few more good runs it will be a good year.
Andyp

[JasonS]

This story was in my local paper over the weekend, front page sunday. It is very interesting for producers in CT. If you have a spare ten minutes it is worth the time, even if you don't live in CT.

http://www.newstimeslive.com//story.php?id=1034656&email=1

[Dave Y]

It is indeed interesting! What I find most intresting is the way the prof's and foresters talk about the decline of the sugar maple. They act as if their state is the only place in the world that the sugar maple grows. It is not the only tree that Malpe syrup can be made from either. we have huge maples here in Pa. canada not so many, WVA and Va KY all have a good inventory of sugar Maples. Sounds like they watched Al Gores movie.

[royalmaple]

I read it as well. I like how they say if the sugar maples go, then heck you'll only be left with red maples since they can grow in a nuclear waste site. I'd hate to see the sugar maples go, but I think non of us will be around to see that happen.

Hint, if you don't have sugar maples and want to make maple syrup...If you tap them[reds], they will run.

[TapME]

and run they will

[3% Solution]

Easy Boys,
Those little buds are going to need some nurishment!
Trees can't grow leaves with out sap and I have never seen a bare tree in the early summer because of no sap.
Now, as far as Mr. Gore and his hot shot info; 1st/ he's a politician and they're usually about themselves; 2nd/ he's a whinner, especially if he doesn't get his own way. Sorry if I offended anyone, but that's the way it is.
I usually make 25 to 27 gallons every other year and 30 to 32 gallons the other years, well guess what, it's the 25 to 27 gallon year.
Last year I make half our crop the last week sap ran.
So we will get what we get and nothing more, be thankfull for what you get!
So stand at ease and be ready.
May we see a good run the end of the week.

Dave

[andrew martin]

I do not know about this, the article seemed to be overly pessimistic. Our average temperatures in central KY are by far higher than those in the Northeast, and the sugar maples have no problems growing in this climate. Just drive the interstate to Nashville, TN, and yes there are sugar maples along side that highway. Our season here is just as long as the Northeast season, we just start a little earlier than the rest. I even have several maple trees that are 100+ years old easily. I do not think there is to be an alarm regarding making syrup, but we as a society should take steps to reduce our energy consumption.

Andrew