Red Maples, Worth It?

[Chris S]

I have found about 50 red maples that I can tap free of charge. I only have about 50 taps out now so this would double or triple my taps. Is the sugar content too low to make it worth it? Also, how bad is the sugar sand.

Do red maples have red fruit on the branches this time of year?

Thanks :)

Chris

[Brian]

Maybe this will help you.
Red Maple
Red maple is commonly tapped in certain geographic areas, particularly in the southern and western portions of the commercial maple range. Identifying a tree as a red maple (Table 3.2, Figure 3.4) is done from the leaves by observing the 3 lobes (occasionally 5), the paired opposite arrangement of the leaves and the small teeth along the margin; from the bark of older trees by the presence of the scaly plates; from the twig by observing the pairedopposite arrangement of the buds, the relatively short, blunt, rounded, red terminal bud and the lack of an offensive odor when the bark of the twig is bruised or scraped; and from the fruit by observing its severe V-shape and size.

Red maple is one of the most abundant and widespread hardwood trees in North America (Figure 3.8). Probably no other species of forest tree, certainly no hardwood, can thrive on a wider variety of soil types and sites. Although it develops best on moderately well-drained to well-drained, moist soils, it commonly grows in conditions ranging from dry ridges to swamps. Because of the wide variety of sites on which red maple will grow, it is found growing naturally in pure stands and with an enormous variety of other tree species ranging from gray birch and paper birch, to yellow poplar and black cherry, and including sugar and black maple. Its rapid growth and ability to thrive on a wide variety of sites have resulted in its widespread planting as ornamental and street trees which are often tapped as part of a sugaring operation.

Compared to sugar and black maple, red maple is a relatively short-lived tree, rarely living longer than 150 years. Mature trees commonly average between 20 and 30 inches in diameter and 60 and 90 feet tall. Like sugar and black maple, red maple is shade tolerant and is found in both even-aged and uneven-aged forests. Thinning or release cutting will substantially shorten the age-to-tapable-size.

From the perspective of producing maple syrup, red maple's most attractive characteristic is its ability to thrive on a wide variety of site conditions. In some areas of the commercial maple range, red maple is the only maple present on many sites. One either taps red maple or they don't sugar. In other areas, red maple may be tapped along with sugar and black maples.

It is important to emphasize that good, high-quality maple syrup can be made from red maple sap. However, for sugaring, red maple does have three important weaknesses. First, the sap sugar content of red maple will be less, on the average, than that of nearby comparable sugar or black maples, perhaps by 1/2 percent or more. This lower sap sugar content translates to higher costs of production and lower profits. Secondly, red maple begins growth in the spring before sugar and black maples, resulting in a shorter collecting season. In addition, when the sap of some red maples is processed, an excessive amount of sugar sand is produced. Sugar sand or niter is the salt that precipitates during the evaporation process. Sugar sand can cause several problems during the production process.


Brian

[mapleman3]

hey I recognize that excerpt from the north american maple producers manual....hee hee just read that last night!!!
Jim

[Brian]

Actually, I went to this site and pasted part of the information here. Here is the link:
http://www.massmaple.org/equipment.html

Hope it helps, it has helped me from time to time.

Brian

[Sugarbear]

Start early,finish early,and have plenty of fuel! :)

[syrupmaker]

HI BRIAN
YES YOU CAN MAKE SYRUP FROM THE RED'S BUT AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED HAVE AN EXCESS OF FUEL,BE IT WOOD OIL OR ETC. THE SUGAR CONTENT IS LOWER BUT IF THAT IS ALL YOU HAVE MAKE DO WITH WHAT YOU GOT.SUGAR AND BLACK ARE THE BETTER DUE TO CONTENT.

[syrupmaker]

OOOPS SORRY BRIAN THAT WAS WAS MEANT FOR CHRIS :oops: