Old Sugar Trees

[TapTapTap]

I'm looking at a piece of property with a stand of mostly very large old sugar maples. Diameters are 24" to 40" and look really worn out at the trunk. However, their tops are very full and healthy looking. Does anybody have experience with very mature trees? Will they produce as well as younger trees? I assume that so long as the tree is healthy that it will produce well and given the sizes they will all produce very well.

Attached is a photo of one of the 36" tree. Look at the crown.

Thanks for any input.

Ken

15520

[TapTapTap]

BTW: I'm talking 36" diameter. That tree had a circumference of 112 inches.

[Cedar Eater]

Old trees do very well and when they are that big you can put a second and possibly a third tap in each year. It would be better if they were wide and widely scattered trees in full sun, but I think they would be great producers.

[motowbrowne]

A big percentage of what I tap are sugary maples that size. They run good. Ours are very sweet. There's two trees right next to the shack that put out tons of sap at about 4.5%.

From the one picture, it looks like that place has potential. You've got big sugars and slope. See if you can make a 3/16 natural vacuum setup work into the picture.

[heus]

Lots of my trees look like that. They are my best producers both in terms of sugar content and sap quantity. Many of them were tapped by my great grandfather 50-85 years ago.

[spud]

BTW: I'm talking 36" diameter. That tree had a circumference of 112 inches.

Those are MONEY trees. Go get them.

Spud

[RC Maple]

From the one picture, it looks like that place has potential. You've got big sugars and slope. See if you can make a 3/16 natural vacuum setup work into the picture.

Sounds like opportunity knocking.

[TapTapTap]

Thx for all of your responses. I'll let you know how it works out.
Ken

[TapTapTap]

We did it! Offer accepted by the Seller.

[motowbrowne]

Congratulations!!

Gonna try to drill any holes yet this season?

[TapTapTap]

Congratulations!!

Gonna try to drill any holes yet this season?

Yes, we have permission from the seller since the closing won't be for a couple of months.

[BRL]

We have one tree my boys call the mother tree, its about 5' dia. and on a good day will overflow 3 aluminum buckets!

[doop]

Do those tapping these big trees notice a lot of dead wood areas? Most of mine have at least one side that is hollow.