Tapping in early January in NE Ohio.

[MapleCreekFarm]

Just curious if anyone has tried tapping this early in OH? This year could've had some good runs the first 2 weeks. Anyone have any light to shed on this. I've found some info but nothing specific to OH.
Pros? Cons?

[fred]

Dont do it. Holes seal up

[maple flats]

I believe that the holes sealing up are related to how you do it, if you have vacuum and run the vacuum from the first sap flow to the end of the season, they will not seal up. If you don't have vacuum they can and often do, both on tubing and buckets or bags.

[MapleCreekFarm]

Here's some thoughts that I have had and why I'm asking this question.
I saw a post by Dr. Tim that said studies show that tapping early doesn't hurt overall sap yield but neither does it help. Maybe he can clarify exactly what the conditions of the study were.
I assume that would have been in Vermont and it would seem to me that weather and climate and the variability of it for a said locale would have a great impact on the viability of this idea.

From the little bit I've learned, it seems that good sanitation (calcium hypochlorite flush at the end of season), hi vac running all the time when not froze, CV or Zap Bac spouts and changing drops can stretch the season from the traditional 6-8 weeks to 12 or even more.

Here in OH we can have quite a few warm snaps in January and my hunch is that the ability to collect those early runs could add a good bit without much loss in the late season and especially in those years when the season ends weeks earlier due to an early warmup.

What will the SSC tend to be of those early January runs?

OK, Now I've stuck my neck out!:o Go ahead and take your best shots. It won't offend me!:cry:

[fred]

Still best to wait till actual season to tap. The big boys up north have to start early in order to be ready by season. No one in ohio has that problem

[buckeye gold]

I have probably played around with early tapping more than most. All my experience is with 3/16th, so that is all I am addressing.

Yes you can gain some syrup from it, but be sure your staying on top of sanitation. As season goes on, yield declines, regardless. Here is my thoughts; on new tubing it is very likely to gain you some syrup, but the older your tubing gets the more likely you are to see degraded sap flows from lack of sanitation. It's intrinsic to the tubing, no matter how meticulous you are with cleaning. So, if you have tubing in it's 1st or second year back up as much as two to three weeks from historic dates. If your tubing is in year 3 or more then maybe a week to ten days, if you are confident with your cleaning. If you have just kind of cleaned and your tubing is old then stay on course with historic dates.

For example, this year I tore down all my fall tapping woods tubing, because it was 5 years old and last year it produced poorly. So I had all new tubing and it has continued to run clear through January (when we had sap weather). I also put a lot of new tubing in my main woods, but not all. I replace all drops and tees annually and clean. So I tapped that woods 10 days early and I git four big runs. All that has made 40% of my syrup goal for this year. Here come February and the arctic air hits and I have not boiled a single day in February. Most years I am pulling taps March 1st. So with the big warm up this week I may well have a 10 day to two week season. I expect big runs, but not enough to make my goal. When I subtract the early syrup from my goal, the two week window may well get me to my goal and have saved my season. Some years that is not true, but it's a hedge bet.

[MapleCreekFarm]

Still best to wait till actual season to tap. The big boys up north have to start early in order to be ready by season. No one in ohio has that problem

I get that the big guys up north are doing it because they have to.
What i don't understand is if it doesn't hurt them too much to tap early, why would it be a bad idea here where you can actually collect a few runs most years.
Just trying to learn......

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

I think you need to consider the regional differences. We rarely have above freezing days from mid January through February. Cold helps keep bacteria at bay. Never been to Ohio but it’s safe to assume you guys may have several freeze thaws, correct? Even if just a day or two at a time. Multiply that by 5 times in 2 months and it makes a difference.

[GeneralStark]

I get that the big guys up north are doing it because they have to.
What i don't understand is if it doesn't hurt them too much to tap early, why would it be a bad idea here where you can actually collect a few runs most years.
Just trying to learn......

It is important to distinguish between larger operations that tap early in order to be ready when the sap really starts running, and smaller operations that tap early to try to take advantage of early runs. Either way, early tapping can be a disadvantage depending upon how you run your operation. Using new spouts every season and changing drops within three seasons will improve yields when tapping early, but that is not always feasible at a large scale...

It is my opinion that for smaller operations, tapping early can be an advantage if you're doing it right. That means changing drops frequently, using new spouts every year, using check valve spouts on drops older than one season, running vacuum constantly and maintaining a tight tubing system.

I have personally increased production by tapping early. In 2018 for instance, I tapped in mid January, boiled before the end of month and my season did not end until April 15th when the trees budded and I was still pulling in 1gpt/24 hours(sap). My trees were tapped for almost three months and I produced syrup for almost as long. I made .65 gpt that year and almost half my crop was made in February. As a contrast, in 2019, I tapped in early February and did not boil until 3/16 and the season ended on 4/16. I produced almost as much syrup as 2018...

That said, regional differences in weather are certainly a major factor. I am in a warm part of Vermont, and in 2018 many colder parts of the state did not produce in February the way my region did. My region is also prone to rapid and dramatic thaws.

I don't know much about the weather in NE Ohio, but I suspect it can get warm at any point between 1/1 and 4/1. Warm weather can have the most negative effect on a tap hole's life span, so even with good sanitation practices (new spouts, drops, CV spouts, etc.), tapping early may not be an advantage.

Quite a few factors to consider it seems...