What Maple is it?

[SapSuckers]

I am still learning everyday about sugaring, and even though I spend a lot of time in the woods I am still ahving a hard time ID'ing the proper maple trees. I am confident now that I can at least insure it is a maple, but not quite sure what kind.

I tapped 5 big trees in my back yard for fun. Some i knew were some kind of maples, other i was pretty sure were not. One tree was dripping sap by the time i pulled the drill bit out. I have gotten about 1/2 gallon in less than a day from one tap. I think this may be a "soft" maple though do to its "rolling" bark. If I test the sap with a sap hydrometer and find around 2% can i be sure this is good sap for syrup? Or do other maples give a decent sugar content as well, but not good for syrup?

Also, do any other trees drip sap in the spring? One tree that i did not think was a maple gave me only about 8 oz in a day buy it looked like regular old sap.

Thanks for the help, i will get it with time. The old man enjoys the good laugh when i am standing next to a non-maple with my drill!!

[David Hagelberg]

See if you have a county forester willing to help you out with tree ID

[Dave Y]

If it is maple drill it they all have sugar in the sap. There is one member on here that is making syurp from box elders. Its a member of the maple family

[VA maple guy]

Chris, there two other trees that i know of that will have sap flows. The Birch trees is one and can be tapped to make birch syrup. The other is the Black Walnut. I know that because i trimmed some limbs off of one in late winter and sap began to flow.
You can tap just about any maple tree. The Sugar Maple, Black Maple, Red Maple, Silver Maple, Norway Maple, and the Box Elder are the most commons ones that are tapped. You can not tap the ornamental maples.
Gerry

[SapSuckers]

I checked the sugar content with my new sap hydrometer today. Now granted, i was cheap and bought the short one, but my first reading was about 4%. I did not really belive it so i tried sap from a different tap and different jug and got 4% again. So even if it hard to determine the tenths it still must be high 3's at least. I wish i had about 99 more tress like that. Needless to say i am not keeping the sap from this kids "fun" tree.