Reaming holes

[blissville maples]

I have 5 trees in my yard that I cannot get to go to my releaser and I run them into a pail. They stopped running week ago, and with this perfect sugaring weather I was out to figure out why;. I grab my drill and reamed half of them with same size bit and the other half I drilled a new hole. No doubt the problem is holes closing up. I thought the trees were sensing the end since it's April however not the case, they are running as if it was beginning of season.

This year I tapped in January/February. I was wondering why I've gone from 1gpt to .5 or less, but I know now!!
I'll be interested to see how these trees heal. It was hard to say in January and February that would be sugaring in April still I wish I did not tap so early!

[spud]

I hear what your saying. If I held out a month to tap then maybe I would be getting more sap now. The problem is dealing with the very deep snow in mid February. It would be helpful if tap holes stayed good for 14-16 weeks.

Spud

[blissville maples]

I've only tapped early this year as the weather in January and February was looking pretty good but that changed quick. Who could have thought we'd be going into April with Arctic air. I'm wondering if tapping in January if drilling 3/4" deep then drill the last 1/2-3/4 when sap flow reduces would have any negative impacts on tree healing and health. I tapped end of January for one run, then next run wasn't for 3 weeks later, in which time the holes even though cold were still closing up. You get what you get however I now realize timing is super important

[Russell Lampron]

I always drill in the 1.5" to 2" range. I think that the tip of the tap will go into the hole about 3/4" when you seat it. I don't believe in reaming but in your case it won't hurt to give it a try. My trees seem to heal up fine. Most holes are closed up by mid summer so I don't think tapping as deep as I do is bad for the trees health. The old timers used to tap about 3" deep or deeper with 7/16" taps and you still those big old roadside trees all over the place.

[Cedar Eater]

I don't ream old holes, and I don't double-tap trees that are only big enough for one tap, but if a tree is big enough for two taps and I only tapped once so far that year, I might add another tap when the first slowed down. I don't see any point in adding stress to the tree when I have others that I could tap.

[WestfordSugarworks]

Blissville, I don't think it's true that the holes are closing up even if it is below freezing. I don't see how that would be possible. From what I understand, both microbial growth and tree activity are dormant, nothing is happening, when below freezing.

I'll be monitoring our woods the next few days to see if we have slowed down. No good way to tell how good the sap would be running if the taps were done later- that's another thing to consider. So much variability. But i'll check back in with the info on if we've SEEMED to slow donw. Started tapping on Dec. 29th and finished our small bush in early February. As Spud mentioned, low snowpack at those times really cut our tapping costs and i'm happy that we've done it that way, and I think we'll continue to do it that way. No way to know how late a season will run or which weeks will be the best on a given year, but given the pattern of more warmups in January/February and a quicker end to the Season in April, plus generally lower sap sugar content and quality end in the season, I think we are doing well to tap early.

[blissville maples]

I don't ream old holes, and I don't double-tap trees that are only big enough for one tap, but if a tree is big enough for two taps and I only tapped once so far that year, I might add another tap when the first slowed down. I don't see any point in adding stress to the tree when I have others that I could tap.

Wondering about this philosophy on large trees, one tap in January the other end of February.......

[blissville maples]

I didn't think cold wether was an issue for bacteria, However from. What I understand bacteria can grow in below freezing weather, it just doesn't proliferate. They say when the warmth comes the few microbes that we're established during the coldjust explode into growth. I had one sugarbush putting out 1.5-2 gpt per day before that March freeze up, then after I went to .5 got, I couldn't understand it they are all huge trees, i tapped them week or two later than the rest- however the tubing for this Sugarbush is my oldest which is 8 years old and it shut down first

[For_the_kids]

I have a small operation, 70 taps or so on buckets. I reamed 1/64 larger and 1/4" deaper this year to maybe get a good couple days yet at the end of the season. They all seamed to be running much better afterward in the short term. When I finished I tapped a boxelder for curiosity. I put two taps in it and 4 hours later my 5 gallon pail was inches from the top. They acted like I drilled a well. I am going to boil its sap all seperate to see what the rate is, (i'm sure poor) and how it tastes, but I thought that the amount of sap I collected so quickly was pretty amazing.

[WestfordSugarworks]

What I understand bacteria can grow in below freezing weather, it just doesn't proliferate. That sounds more accurate to me, yeah. Back to your original posting, I don't think it would be an additional stress to the tree to ream out a hole, or to drill it slightly deeper. Like starting the season with a 1/4" spout at 1 1/2" deep, then reaming out with 5/16" bit to 2" deep. I don't believe that would be in any way more hard on the tree than if you were to drill the 5/16" wide, 2" deep hole right at the beginning.

Drilling a second hole on a tree that should only receive one tap per tree, that's a different story. That's not so good.

From what I know, the sapwood that we are removing when drilling doesn't contain too many important nutrients, just mostly carbon. So it's not like we are taking a lot right at that moment from the tree by drilling a deep hole into it. But, the deeper you drill, the more stain area you are creating, so the tree will not be able to transport sap or water through that area as well.

Maple trees are pretty resilient, they can lose 3/4 of their crown and still live and eventually thrive years later. I think when it comes to tapping considerations, our primary concern should be tree health. But if you are tapping a 10" tree with a good crown that is growing well, I feel our primary concern then should be OUR ability to sustainably tap, because a tree with these characteristics is going to be pretty darn hard to kill by overtapping. With a healthy tree of good size, what is going to get in our way first is a spent tapping band. I see that first hand in our small bush, where a lot of bigger sugar maples were overtapped for years. They probably COULD have had 2 or 3 taps each, even based on the organic guidelines, but they just are too slow growing and now it's a pain to find good wood to tap. However, these trees are still healthy, growing well, and when I do find good wood to tap, they produce a lot of sap. So my issue is not declining tree health due to overtapping, it's a spent tapping band. So yeah, I think reaming isn't bad as long as it's done right. Just have to account for that labor expense and the cost of a second spout too, will that be worth it in the long run?

[DrTimPerkins]

Maple trees are pretty resilient, they can lose 3/4 of their crown and still live and eventually thrive years later. I think when it comes to tapping considerations, our primary concern should be tree health. But if you are tapping a 10" tree with a good crown that is growing well, I feel our primary concern then should be OUR ability to sustainably tap, because a tree with these characteristics is going to be pretty darn hard to kill by overtapping. With a healthy tree of good size, what is going to get in our way first is a spent tapping band. I see that first hand in our small bush, where a lot of bigger sugar maples were overtapped for years. They probably COULD have had 2 or 3 taps each, even based on the organic guidelines, but they just are too slow growing and now it's a pain to find good wood to tap. However, these trees are still healthy, growing well, and when I do find good wood to tap, they produce a lot of sap. So my issue is not declining tree health due to overtapping, it's a spent tapping band. So yeah, I think reaming isn't bad as long as it's done right. Just have to account for that labor expense and the cost of a second spout too, will that be worth it in the long run?

Excellent post. Those very large trees may be "growing well", but because they are so much larger, even if they put on the same volume of wood as a smaller tree, the ring width will be narrower. Therefore, it takes a longer period of time for that tapped area to be completely covered with enough new wood to be tapped again.

One key to sustainable tapping....good growth. Key to good growth...thinning.

A couple of possible solutions to the problem of finding good sound wood in large trees:
1. Longer droplines
2. Tapping below the lateral (if you have good vacuum and good spout sanitation practices)

Added later...I suppose option 3 would be to quit tapping them for 50 yrs or so.

[GeneralStark]

Microbes have the advantage of billions of years of evolution so they can survive in all sorts of conditions. If you want to tap in January and keep getting sap in April there are several things you can do. Reaming is certainly one, but is it the most cost effective option? Why not consider more frequent drop replacement or use CV spouts?

[DrTimPerkins]

Reaming is certainly one, but is it the most cost effective option?

Excellent question...ask me again in 2.2 yrs.


Why not consider more frequent drop replacement or use CV spouts?

I can think of a few reasons, but will bite my tongue (for another 2.3 yrs when I retire).

[prairietapper]

stepping over a dollar to pick up a shiny penny is an easy habit to fall into. It is not done because someone is ignoring the dollar... they just never took their eyes off the shiny thing long enough to notice the dull thing.
other times. it is a case of not letting go of a penny so you can pick up the dollar

[blissville maples]

Yes the tree tapping band is probably important to consider, I think having the ability to move the lateral lines up or down in future can help with that. Good tree health is also important, and I think I'm going to try thinning instead of tapping to kill a small tree. I may try cvs again However last time I did, when I pulled taps too many were either completely plugged( to the point where not even 26 inches of vacuum can pull vacuum to the spout) and the balls on alot of them we're so slimed up they didn't seat anyway rendering them useless, sure they worked for the first few weeks, but I think they are most important is the end of season, middle of March to April, and if they do what I witnessed then I dunno- failure rate I saw was nearly 30percent. I think the most important thing is to ignore these January warm spells because we all know just because it's warm for a day or two in January you're not going to get a lot of sap because the trees are sleeping. I tapped January 22nd this year I made 450 gallons between then and March between March and April I made about 800, and now my holes are closing the four hundred gallons I made from January to March it's probably a lot less than the syrup I would have made from the middle of March till now, telling me that I did not tap at the ultimate time..... I will not let these January warm spells tease me anymore no tapping till at least the first week of February

[blissville maples]

I know a family friend who up until about 4 years ago when we started having these wacky Springs never used to tap until town meeting day and I'll tell you what he makes so much syrup so fast 3800 taps it's sickening. One week he has 200 gallons next week he's up to 800. Now that the weather seems to be bringing spring earlier this year he tapped last week of February. He is very traditional and from what I can say he's right you won't make syrup till you're getting stuck in the mud and that doesn't happen till march!!

[DrTimPerkins]

...when I pulled taps too many were either completely plugged( to the point where not even 26 inches of vacuum can pull vacuum to the spout) and the balls on alot of them we're so slimed up they didn't seat anyway rendering them useless, sure they worked for the first few weeks, but I think they are most important is the end of season, middle of March to April, ..

I've addressed this several times, but it is not what the CV is doing for you at the end of the season that is as important as what it did for you in the first half of the season. The idea is to DELAY microbial contamination of the taphole by reducing backflow contamination of the tapholes through (especially) the early part of the season. Doing so will delay the proliferation of microbes in the taphole, and thus keep the tapholes flowing longer and stronger in the season (starting way back in the middle of the season and carrying through to the end). What is happening is not something you can actually see very well. In any case, eventually ALL spouts, including CVs, will slime up and sap flow will stop. By that time, you're not getting anything from any taphole, CV or not.

[blissville maples]

I dunno I'll likely try them again sometime but I'm just not convinced yet. A friend of mine tap the same time I did and he's been getting .2 gals of sap the last two weeks per tap on cvs, Ive been getting .5-.75 gals per tap without them, both old bushes not new lines. After doing some reaming this year I am going to pay attention to how thetrees heal. I know Reaming doesn't cost anything(days labor for 1000 taps, or sit around and wonder why not getting sap anymore, and wait for the ground to dry so I can do something else- cost to ream is low to non existent for me)versus check valves at a lot of cost. And from what I've seen reaming nearly renews the holes, especially if you have a shallow taphole and grab a little fresh wood with it.

But you kind of have to wonder why is he only getting .2 gallons per tap sap, and I'm getting two to three times that, he has all cvs, good trees he makes 1600 gals on 3500 taps so......I dunno no rhym or reason to it is there, I mean lots of guys are .5+ without cvs. Makes me scratch my head about them

[blissville maples]

How come no 1/4" cvs?