Need some advise on suckers

[Johnjenner]

First I will say that I am a newbie to the Sugarbush. I was just out there and noticed a lot of my maple trees have suckers growing from the base. A lot of them are three or 4 inches in diameter. Just wonder if they should be taken out or left? I have both soft and hard maple and most of these are on my soft Naples.

[maple flats]

I usually remove them but not always. If the larger tree has any defects I sometimes will leave one sucker. However I have not yet had to remove the main tree to see if that sucker does well or not.

[minehart gap]

Dave, I have a few of these in my expansion area this year as well. Did it matter when you cut the suckers? I decided to let them in place until after maple season so that the tree wouldn't push sap. I am located where the fall sap flow is going on so wouldn't that be just like a fall tapping? Or would it be more like tapping a sapling?

[buckeye gold]

Minehart gap, I would not cut them now, they will weep sap. Cut them after season.

If you have many suckers then you must have a cut over area and they are from stumps or the tree has a lot of dead wood above. I do not see suckers from mature seedling growth much. If they are over 2-4" I'd leave them alone.

[minehart gap]

Thanks buckeye gold. It is an area that had grape Vines take out a couple tree tops. I cut all of the vines about 7 years age but must have missed that area. All red maples. All small 1/2" to 2" suckers. I'll cut them in June.

[maple flats]

I never cut those I removed until after the season. They leak some but quit in a few days.

[Russell Lampron]

If I have suckers that I'm going to remove and they are big enough I put a tap in and get what I can for sap out of them. I cut them and turn them into sugar wood after the season is over.

[wnybassman]

I opened this thread thinking it was going to be about lollipops. lol Carry on...........