Multiple taps per tree?

[Sapling]

I have added some gravity tubing lines to my little sugarbush. Prior to adding tubing to the mix this year, I've always had more trees than taps & buckets and so I've never tapped any tree with more than one tap. Now that I have the ability to easily add second taps to my bigger trees, I'm wondering if I should. Do most folks double tap their larger trees?

[wnybassman]

If I hug the tree and can't touch my hands together, it gets two taps. Just try to do it when your neighbors aren't watching. :)

[Sugarmaker]

No one is going to argue with you on conservative tapping methods. I have some 150+ year old big maples that have 3 or 4 taps in. (5/16). Tap holes are healing well and trees look good. Some folks may feel that is still too many.
Your doing good.
Regards,
Chris

[wnybassman]

Actually, my comment is more for your neighbors catching you hugging trees :)

[Calycanthus]

Words of wisdom...it's okay to love your trees...just don't love your trees.

[Russell Lampron]

I wrap my arms around the tree like wnybassman does. Find someone with short arms and you will get more taps.

[Wanabe1972]

An old guy down the road from me has a nice row maples probably 30 inchs across at the stump. He told me he had 60 taps in one year and i said man i didnt think you had that many trees. I went to visit his little operation at his request and when he showed me his taps there were 16 of them in the first tree and 11 in the second. I thought i had seen it all then he showed me his home built evaporator boiling away unattended in the chicken coop that was still occupied by chickens. Im not sure where im going with this but the question that was asked brought this to my mind. My handles on my 2 handed tubing tool are 16 inches long and if the tree is bigger it gets 2. When i first started i put 2 in alot of trees that were too small but now with vacuum i almost never put more than 1 in.

[adk1]

Not saying that you have to follow this but the rule of thumb is no tree gets more than 2 taps no matter how big. This is from the North American Maple Producers Manual. Has to do with studies about how much sap you will get compared to how much additional damage u do with drilling that third tap etc.

[maple flats]

Before I had vacuum I used the guide line of 12" 1tap, 18"+ =2 taps and over 30" if healthy looking got 3. Now with vacuum it is 10" 1 tap and over 20" gets 2, none get more than 2, even a few that are 36+ in diameter at tapping height. I do have a few that split into 2 trunks, if over 12" each gets a tap.

[madmapler]

I agree most of the above except when I drill right through them. Then I have to use 2 taps.

[psparr]

I agree most of the above except when I drill right through them. Then I have to use 2 taps.

Ha ha. I'm sure someone will give you a hard time on that one.

[Sugar Bear]

I have a tree that is about 4" in diameter. Last year I put about 7 taps on it because I had plans to cut it down after the season anyway as it is growing into the side of my house. Thought for certain the tree would die, well it did not and I did not get around to cutting it down and am tapping it again this year. Seems to be giving more sap this year.

Perhaps I am on to something.

[DrTimPerkins]

I have a tree that is about 4" in diameter. Last year I put about 7 taps on it.

You likely got no more sap out of it then you would have with 2 taps. There are diminishing returns for each tap depending upon size and whether you're using vacuum. An 18" tree on vacuum will only produce about 60-70% more sap with a second tap, and considerably less if you put 3 on it. With gravity it is somewhat different, but shows a similar trend.

And yes, it is difficult to kill a tree by overtapping it....at least for a few years. But if you overtap long enough, it makes it hard to find good wood to tap into, and your yields will be quite low due to tapping into old staining columns in the tree.

[Sunday Rock Maple]

Perhaps we are conflating correlation (taps being played after death) with causation (taps leading to death)?