*Gauging Interest* Who wants to sell Birch sap?

[WestfordSugarworks]

Doing some research after coming upon a beautiful stand of white birch about a mile from our sugarhouse. I've got the bug bigtime and birch season would fall right in line after maple season. I am just gauging interest, but would anyone in the area consider setting up tubing to their birches and selling the sap?

-Birch syrup retails for about $80 a quart (better prices for smaller jugs)
-There is lots of demand for birch
-Existing equipment can be used, including RO
-Birch begins about 2 weeks after maple ends (not sure about this exactly, however)
-Birch season lasts about 20 days
-Birch will run even if its below freezing, so it runs continuously for much of the season (also not sure on this)
-Spoilage is less of an issue with birch sap, even despite the warmer temps that it is collected in due to lower sugar content (not sure about this either)
-Vacuum pump may not increase yields according to this study http://www.reeis.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/1000623-diversifying-the-new-york-maple-industry-producing-syrup-from-birch-trees.html

If i'm correct about the lack of need for a pump, it could be a pretty cheap thing. If you don't need a pump, you don't need to walk lines as much so could just set the taps and collect sap. I'm hoping people will chime in here and offer whatever information they have. I do know that at least one producer in Alaska uses a vacuum pump, and has added new tubing in with that pump, so maybe I'm wrong about the yield thing. I don't know. Also proctor did studies using a pump on some trees. I didn't see anything from them indicating that you shouldn't use a pump. Because of the way the trees run, if vacuum did increase yields and you had slope, you could just use 3/16 and not even need a pump probably because sap flow is near continuous (from what I understand). The woods I was checking out had some WICKED slope. The yield per tap wasn't much and is less than maple, I think it was 18 ounces of syrup per tap. People boil it down to the same density.

I'm just really excited about the potential and am gauging interest from other folks near Westford who might have birch potential. I think it could be profitable for both the sap seller and buyer, especially if the buyer had enough sap coming in. I'm confident the market is there. I would just need enough sap, because we have a 5x14 with steamway and RO and everything.

Sorry if any of my info is wrong, I like to do my research first on everything and I tried to say so when i wasn't sure of facts.

Will

[to100]

I was thinking about this, I have over 30 around my house with over 50 sugar behind that are mature size.
Problem is over 80 gallons to one. I live in Fayston and need an RO to make it work or someone like you around here.
Good luck.

[WestfordSugarworks]

Unfortunately we don't have any dense stands in either of the lots we own, but there is a big hillside (called Birch Ridge) here in Westford that is full of them, within walking distance of the sugarhouse. Good luck to you as well!

[Scribner's Mountain Maple]

Westford,

I have tested this out myself as I have a ton of birches mixed into my sugarwoods. I tapped a couple hundred a few years back and made a little syrup. It was an experiment to see if I could use my existing tubing system, evaporator, press, etc. I know PMCR and a researcher named Abby ?? tested the viability also. Im not sure about her results, other than I believe she determined that it was a worth while industry to invest into. My results were that I loved it. It was fun to do something a little different. However, personally I will not ever use my maple equipment for Birch Syrup production with a few exceptions. I think the RO is a piece of equipment that doesn't contact finished syrup and has a rigorous cleaning cycle. Hence it could be used to process both Maple and Birch sap. Also, the VAC in your operation. From my understanding the pressure is different with Birches, and it doesn't "need" vac as much. But I am sure it won't hurt and should increase production. All other parts of the operation I feel should be kept separate and it is because of the potential for contamination of maple syrup equipment, a finished maple product, or other. There just isn't any research that I am aware of that speaks to how the minerals in birch sap and syrup interacts with equipment. I had heard that if you have an older lead soldered evaporator, that the acids in birch sap will cause that to leach more into the syrup during the boiling process. But that was third hand intel. Pretty much I feel there is a lot still to learn about this and would rather be on the safe side.

As for my future plans, I have stopped the bleeding. I no longer cut birch trees. Including white, black and yellow. I know traditionally that White (paper) birches are what is used for birch syrup production, but in my test, I tapped yellows as well, and they produce good too. My future plan is to grow my maple operation so that I can afford to establish a smaller scale birch operation. Meaning a separate sugarhouse, with a smaller evaporator, a smaller filter press, a separate tubing infrastructure, separate releaser and storage tanks. The biggest reason I plan to keep it separate is because of the unknown and because of not wanting any of my customers to have a concern about the purity of either product.


-Birch syrup retails for about $80 a quart (better prices for smaller jugs)
I have heard that in British Columbia they are getting this. I heard of a guy making birch syrup in VT getting $50 per QT.

-There is lots of demand for birch
I think there is and may be even more demand for Birch sap as a drink vs. Birch syrup as a cooking ingredient.

-Existing equipment can be used, including RO
Maybe

-Birch begins about 2 weeks after maple ends (not sure about this exactly, however)
This I think is not entirely true. I think that they overlap in VT. At least during the test I did, the maples were still producing late season syrup when I tapped the birches and they were running hard. I feel like I could have tapped them a week earlier even, which would have made the seasons overlap even greater. Another reason why I feel a separate operation and some equipment is needed.

-Birch season lasts about 20 days
Not sure, what I understand is they run best as soon as the ground and their roots start to thaw. I think 20 gal of sap per tree is a reasonable expectation. And at 150-180 gal of sap per gal of syrup, it would take 7-9 trees to make a gal of syrup. I collected sap for a few weeks only during my experiment so the season may have gone longer. I was out of wood and energy because I boiled the sap without an RO. I do not recommend to try this.

-Birch will run even if its below freezing, so it runs continuously for much of the season (also not sure on this)
I'm not sure either

-Spoilage is less of an issue with birch sap, even despite the warmer temps that it is collected in due to lower sugar content (not sure about this either)
I don't know about this, I think that when the weather gets warm (60-70 degrees) that you would want to process it asap. I felt like when it was warm that the sap started to get slimy. But really I don't actually know either way.

-Vacuum pump may not increase yields according to this study http://www.reeis.usda.gov/web/crispr...rch-trees.html
I plan to use my pump even if only to help sap move through the lines.

Good luck, If I was a little closer to you (currently about 30 miles) I would sell you some birch sap.

Ben

[WestfordSugarworks]

Ben, thanks for your reply and info. I spoke with Abby for half an hour this afternoon and learned a good deal. You are right, the seasons do overlap a little. She said that the work they have done was all with a pump and they attained impressive yields as compared to traditional yields that I heard of. So I reverse my statement about not needing a pump. Furthermore, she said that some preliminary work that Cornell had done using 3/16 with birch indicated that some of the birch chips from tapping were clogging the laterals. Sap spoilage is still an issue, but I think you could get away with boiling at the end of the day every day and not experience much spoilage.

I'm not too worried about cross use of RO and evaporator, but due to the season overlap and the fact that we have a big evaporator, If I were too seriously consider getting into it I may want a separate evaporator. I know that maple companies sell rigs to birch producers and I don't know if they design them with any different design or materials.

How many taps do you think you have of birch? 30 miles isn't so far, the guy buying our sap in Jericho travels 40 minutes one way to come get it. 4500 gallon truck makes it profitable enough.

Thanks for the info.

[DrTimPerkins]

-Birch will run even if its below freezing, so it runs continuously for much of the season (also not sure on this)

"Dr. Abby" van den Berg is the expert on birch here at UVM PMRC. Glad you chatted with her. She has ongoing work this year, and more planned for the next several years, so there will definitely be more information forthcoming.

In any case, I did want to respond to this one statement. Although birch sap flow seems to be less driven by freeze-thaw, sap cannot run when it is below freezing, because it freezes in the lines....just like maple sap. It won't stop running due to the lack of a freeze though, until the pressure dissipates after a certain period of time.

[WestfordSugarworks]

Although birch sap flow seems to be less driven by freeze-thaw, sap cannot run when it is below freezing, because it freezes in the lines....just like maple sap. It won't stop running due to the lack of a freeze though, until the pressure dissipates after a certain period of time.

Wow, I am continually amazed at my superior intellect. Lol. Of course sap would freeze in the lines.. woops. I still have a lot to learn before I do any real work and am grateful for Dr. Abby's work as well as the work of the other folks who have produced or done their own research.

[spud]

I have about 5 acres of solid birch on my land. They are a bit small 4-8 inches. If anyone was willing to buy my birch sap I would be interested in setting up the woods.

Spud

[WestfordSugarworks]

I have about 5 acres of solid birch on my land. They are a bit small 4-8 inches. If anyone was willing to buy my birch sap I would be interested in setting up the woods.

Spud

Spud, I actually met a guy in St. Albans CDL this fall who overhead me talking about our sap and gave me his business card. He was a young guy dressed in overalls and was talking about buying our Jericho sap. He lived in Richford and I think he was revamping an older tubing system and was going to boil this season. If I remember correctly, he also was interested in Birch sap. Not sure though.

I wouldn't be surprised if in ten years, birch was a big thing in Vermont. Maybe you would want to do a bit of thinning so that you develop some good birch crop trees (not sure if this is what you are supposed to do with birch). Either way, I bet someone will be looking for sap relatively soon.

[Scribner's Mountain Maple]

Westford,

I have a lot of birches. Maybe 5,000 or so that I could hit if I set up a tubing system like the maples. A lot of them are yellows, but as far as I understand, their sap is also good for birch syrup production. I need to set up a big new maple stand this summer, but could possibly set up 500-1000 birches for next year as well if someone would agree to haul and buy the sap. I could likely process it with my RO so that could limit hauling to be of concentrate only.

I too think that birch production will be big in VT. It is another natural sweetener and the demand for these type of products is only going to increase the more it becomes known that processed sugars may pose the greatest health risk of all foods out there.

Most loggers and sugarmakers historically have had no love for white birches. So in many places in vt they have been cut out of the woods entirely. My grandfather on the other hand liked the way they looked which is why I have so many.

I'd want to connect with Abby before I set anything up. I was thinking 3/16, but from what you said in your post, it may not work out as well. When I tapped the birches, it wasn't as much the wood chards that was strange about the birch sap, it was the yeasty balls of whatever that was part of the sap. I could imagine that those could also pose a problem for sap getting through 3/16 fittings.

Good luck the rest of the maple season. We should connect to discus in more detail if my location isn't an issue for sap pick up.

Thanks,
Ben

[WestfordSugarworks]

Wow, 5000 is a good count. I think that their sap is fine also. I love yellow birch, I think its my favorite tree. I'm planning to hang buckets on a couple of birches just to see what their flow is like. Part of the problem of my idea of making birch syrup is I think that the season overlaps, or could overlap, with maple. I need to do more research before considering anything too seriously. Thanks for your interest and i'll keep you posted on any further action I take.

[GeneralStark]

It may be worth getting in touch with the guys at Georgia Mtn. Maples. They have been making birch syrup on a pretty good sized scale for several years now. They have always been very friendly and helpful when I have brought groups there for tours.

[WestfordSugarworks]

Thanks for the tip, General. I think I'll go by there as I am only 20 minutes away and check out what they do once birch season begins.

[GeneralStark]

Michael Farrell is a great resource for birch as well:

https://www.themaplenews.com/story/weighing-pros-cons-of-producing-birch-syrup/56/

[rhwells2003]

Thanks for the tip, General. I think I'll go by there as I am only 20 minutes away and check out what they do once birch season begins.

I'm pretty sure birch season has already began for them. I went to their breakfast Saturday morning, and they had both their maple and birch rig boiling. I didn't go look at their birch rig to see if they were actually boiling sap or just water for the effect though.

[GeneralStark]

According to a FB post by the manager, they have indeed sweetened the pans on the birch rig.

[Zucker Lager]

Are we talking "all" birch or just yellow? or ??? We have acres of white paper birch here in north central Wis. and over the years I've seen them seriously distressed after a wound through the bark. Some are getting Inonotus fungus (black fungus) on them and that kills them after a few years, that usually happens right where there was damage to the bark. I would like to try tapping ours if its OK to do so. Thanks for the help. jay

[spud]

Thanks for the tip, General. I think I'll go by there as I am only 20 minutes away and check out what they do once birch season begins.

Just remember that when you taste their birch syrup only put a very small amount in your mouth. As soon as it touches your taste buds you're going to want to spit it out but you can't. My friends in Alaska are in full swing right now selling birch sap. I helped them get started about 6-7 years ago. My best friend that lives in Alaska helps me tap my trees every year. He brings me a jug of birch syrup just for fun. I don't like it at all but it's exciting to see people starting to tap birch. I talked to a guy yesterday that said he would buy my birch sap if I wanted to tap them next season. I am waiting to hear back on price he will pay.

Spud

[rhwells2003]

Everyone that I've heard that's tried it hasn't liked it. What does it taste like? If it tastes so bad what is the big hype about it? Is it just being used as a natural sweetener?

[Run Forest Run!]

Properly made birch syrup has a very pronounced molasses flavour. The darker the grade, the more intense it is. It's certainly not offensive or anything, but definitely something that you use sparingly in your cooking, BBQing and baking until you are familiar with its flavour profile. It can overwhelm a dish very quickly. I keep some amber gold grade in my fridge and a little goes a long way.

I had some improperly made birch syrup once, and it was inedible. No fault of the sap, just an issue with how it was boiled/scorched.

[GiddingsHill]

I'm intrigued by the birch sap/syrup potential. But I would personally need a lot of confidence in the long term strength of this market before I put a drill to any veneer or even sawlog quality yellow birch. Probably everyone on here has looked at an untapped, veneer quality hard maple and done the calculations in their head. I tend to tap them, even though it kills me, it pays. I might roll the dice on white birch, but yellow birch I really don't think I would.

[madmapler]

Everyone that I've heard that's tried it hasn't liked it. What does it taste like? If it tastes so bad what is the big hype about it? Is it just being used as a natural sweetener?
If you want to try some you can order a sample size from Kahiltna in Alaska. I have some early season syrup from them and the first time I tasted it I can say I was disappointed. It looks like maple and that's what everyone expects. However, I keep it on the shelf and every so often I'll try a little. I'm familiar with the flavor now and I honestly do like it. It'll never be as good as maple but it does have a fruity flavor that I like. Mine doesn't taste at all like molasses. I think there's a real challenge in making good birch syrup as opposed to maple. I'm sure there's a lot of good attempts out there that don't really cut it and perhaps they tarnish the rep. somewhat. I tried a guys once and if that was my only experience then I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have much interest. Get ahold of BC. Birchtapper on this forum or someone else with experience. Maybe they have some sample sizes.

[GeneralStark]

Processing it is way trickier than maple. Maple sap has 100% sucrose (until microbes start converting it to glucose and fructose) but birch sap sugar is glucose which burns much more easily. I suspect that much of the birch syrup out there that people have tasted is not properly processed. This is why the RO is key for anything beyond a few taps.

[Abby van den Berg]

Hi guys,
Posting this a little late, but here's a link to the results from some of our research on birch production, including sap yields and economics, that might be helpful: http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/?Page=birch.html. We're currently working on a project studying the best timing of tapping for birch, and the size of taphole wounds to determine appropriate tapping guidelines - this should be finished and the results posted in the fall. This spring we'll also be starting an experiment to study what syrup processing practices produce birch syrup with the best flavor. If you're interested in tapping birch and have any questions, definitely give me a call or email!
-Abby


Abby van den Berg, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
University of Vermont
Proctor Maple Research Center
Underhill Ctr., VT 05490
(802) 899-9926
avan@uvm.edu

[WestfordSugarworks]

Thank you for the information Dr. Abby! I'll be sure to check that out. I had been super excited about making birch syrup, but when I learned more about the potential for season overlap and other details I thought it wasn't for me at this point in time. But I learn forward to learning as much as I can about it. Thanks again.

[Abby van den Berg]

You bet! The seasons don't necessarily have to overlap - a lot of birch sapflow will occur after the maple season is over, it just appears that some good runs often happen while maple production is winding down. Sometimes it will depend on how much late-season maple syrup you're interested in making.