Red Maples

[LMP Maple]

Thinking about the viability of buying a piece of land with primarily Red Maples on it for sugaring. I currently do 50 buckets with a mix of Reds and Sugars. I have noticed that the Reds are real hit or miss while the Sugars are very consistent. It is like a light switch is turned on with the Sugars at some point in the season and they just throttle up. The Reds can have days when you would think that they would be running like crazy and there will be nothing. I am looking for some land around southern NH with about 100 taps or so that I can run tubing and maybe vacuum. Finding land down here with Sugars on it is tough, finding land with Reds is certainly easier. I am wondering for those of you that tap the Reds will they run as hard as Sugars if they are on vacuum. I know that the sugar content is lower and that does not concern me as this is a hobby but I do want to make good stuff and have enough sap to boil. Thanks

[raptorfan85]

I tap almost all reds. When on buckets they were very hit and miss like you said. Some days full buckets, others nothing. Once I went to vacuum the changed. They don't produce as much as a mature sugar will but they are solid performers with the vac.

[Russell Lampron]

If you want to tap reds you need to put them on vacuum. They don't produce as much sap as sugars but they do make great tasting syrup. About 90% of my taps are reds. I average about a quart of syrup per tap per season.

[18mile]

I have tapped reds for over 30 years. When we were on buckets there were some that were low producers but generally not too bad. On vacuum I am not seeing a lot of difference between the redMaples or the sugars. Maybe a little lower on sugar content over the course of the season. They make perfectly good syrup. They do tend to go buddy earlier than the Sugar maples. Sometimes I will start pulling the red maple taps before the season is over.

[Kh7722]

I also tap almost all reds and have noticed the same as the others. They run like crazy on vacuum and yes the sugar content is a little lower. Although so much more depends on sugar content then variety of trees. Some of my yard trees that are reds still run near 3%, while the woods are 1.5-2.0. A woods near me has all sugars and will run 1.0-1.5, its all about crown and leaf surface. If you have the ability to thin and manage a woods properly then the reds can be a great woods for you. Plus in my opinion and that of our customers it makes a flavorful syrup, darker than some, but still great.
Kevin

[woodsy]

Had terrible results with reds on gravity last year and other years to the point where I doubt they will get tapped again.
When my sugar maples were giving up a gallon a day the reds were giving up a quart. Some were beside each other and had me scratching my head.

[Kh7722]

Had terrible results with reds on gravity last year and other years to the point where I doubt they will get tapped again.
When my sugar maples were giving up a gallon a day the reds were giving up a quart. Some were beside each other and had me scratching my head.

Woodsy,
They really need vacuum to get them to run, the yield of sap from reds on vacuum is unbelievable. If its a smaller operation (a few hundred taps or less) a small vac pump is all thats needed to get them to flow.
Kevin

[Sugarmaker]

Try to find a plot with the hard maples. You will never regret it. Now if you already owned the property and the reds were in the back yard running down hill to the sugar house I would still tell you to go find a hard maple sugarbush. Its a lot of work, you will have a lot invested. the sugars will work well for you. I am not saying that reds are bad but if your shopping go for the best trees.
After reading this about the reds on vacuum, my guess is that sugars on vacuum will still out produce them. Just my opinion. Sometimes you just dont have a choice and the reds will make you some really good syrup too!
Keep boiling!
Regards,
Chris

[LMP Maple]

Thanks to all the replies. It sounds like Reds on vacuum is a very viable option. I would like to find that good mix but it is tough here is Southern NH. Any land that is for sale most if not all of the hard maple will be cleared before they put it up for sale. The loggers seem to be a little more picky with the Red Maple and tend to leave a lot of it. I will try to see if some of the folks from NH are doing the open houses in March and bend your ears a little more. A lot of what was said echo's what I have heard from the UVM proctor research as far as Reds on vacuum being able to match Sugar Maple output, certainly not in sugar content but volume. Thanks again. After this season I will be hitting the road looking for some land. My wife always said I would try to make this a 12 month hobby!

[Russell Lampron]

Thanks to all the replies. It sounds like Reds on vacuum is a very viable option. I would like to find that good mix but it is tough here is Southern NH. Any land that is for sale most if not all of the hard maple will be cleared before they put it up for sale. The loggers seem to be a little more picky with the Red Maple and tend to leave a lot of it. I will try to see if some of the folks from NH are doing the open houses in March and bend your ears a little more. A lot of what was said echo's what I have heard from the UVM proctor research as far as Reds on vacuum being able to match Sugar Maple output, certainly not in sugar content but volume. Thanks again. After this season I will be hitting the road looking for some land. My wife always said I would try to make this a 12 month hobby!

I'm Red Roof Maples in Loudon. I'll be doing an open house on maple weekend if you want to stop by then. If I know you're coming we can get together some time other than maple weekend too. About 90% of my trees are reds. I find that the sap volume is a little less but the sugar content is about equal. I normally measure 2% in my bulk tank with all sap combined.

[BAP]

As you are looking for land, keep your eyes out for what trees are in the surrounding area around the property. You might be able to get permission to tap to get more trees without having to buy as much land. Red Maples make fine syrup, as others said, they respond well to vacuum.

[maple flats]

Around my sugarhouse I'm about half and half, sugars and reds. I'm on 26-27" vacuum and I got .52 GPT syrup 2 yrs ago and .48 GPT last year, that is 1/2 gal of syrup average the last 2 seasons, before that I had far fewer reds but never got over .38 GPT, but my vacuum was less too.
Reds do make some very fine syrup for sure.

[30AcreWoods]

I'm right here in central NH as well, and I'm lucky to have a majority of sugar maples, but tap a few reds. The lines with reds don't run seem to run much lower in sugar content or volume over a season for me, on average. When I had buckets, I would check the sugar content of every tap, and the reds were just a bit lower. I do know that they bud out earlier, and perform much better on gravity (natural vac.) than on buckets. I pull the taps on those trees sooner (I've just learned to look at their crowns and can tell when the buds are at the point it's time to stop). Having an RO also helps in that I don't worry about the lesser sugar content. Tap 'em all and keep boiling!

[LMP Maple]

As always the trader comes through with great info and advice. Thanks Russ, I will PM you if I can get out there before the open house weekend. Good luck to all. Putting the buckets up this weekend.

[Crooked Cellars Farm]

I am in NE Ohio and this is my first year using a Shurflo vaccum system. We tap mostly red maples. We have roughly 400 taps. As of this evening we've collected almost 1600 gal of sap. And I don't have a RO. We tapped our first tree Feb 2. Last year on buckets we collected, from 410 taps, roughly 1700 gal. in 6 weeks. Sure the sugar content can be lower. Sure they are a little more finicky(sp? Haha) But we still make great syrup. We are a first generation sugaring operation. I wouldn't hesitate on a property if you like it, if red maples are your deciding factor. They still make great syrup.