have you tapped for 2022?

[randolphvt]

I haven't in Randolph, VT. Temps are expected to mid 30s, but a short spell. I'm waiting it out.
Anyone else?

[ecp]

There are a lot of people in northern Vermont that have started and/or finished.

[GeneralStark]

I'm starting this week. Not because I see any sap weather coming but because it takes me some time to get everything done, especially with the amount of snow we have in the woods currently... I'm hoping to be tapped by mid Feb.

I think that with the amount of snow and cold we've had, it's going to take some warm weather to get any kind of worthwhile sap run.

All the large operations around me have been tapping since late Dec. and early Jan. Several started earlier than usual to take advantage of the lack of snow and now they're glad they did....

When you have tens of thousands of taps you really need to get started early to get them all in by the time sap weather comes.

[smokeyamber]

Weather is looking warmer this week so I will tap in the 3/16 lines, Buckets will wait a while, could be another late start season with the amount of cold and snow. Getting the sugaring fever ...

[ronewold]

I haven't yet. I was counting on another week or two to get things in order, but the forecast coming up is starting to look threateningly like a sap run could be in the cards. My woods are up at 1700 feet, and the snow is still very deep, but it won't be long now.

[Ultimatetreehugger]

I'm half tapped but still working on an expansion as well.

[hogisland42]

I started doing mine last weekend, but only because I have plenty of stuff to finish getting ready and only have weekends to do it. The main reason is that I want to get it done before we get another storm(which I am sure we will) and get a bunch more snow in the woods. I usually tap around the 2nd or 3rd week of February anyway

[ronewold]

Wow, this week has been insanely warm! I suspect the sap has been ready at least some of this week. Maybe someday I will be ahead enough by February to take advantage of an early thaw like this, but for now it just serves to make me feel like I am late. I'm sticking to my plan of being ready to go by town meeting day, because that's the best I can do.

[randolphvt]

It's not flowing well here in Randolph, VT yet. I got just 2 gal sap the past 2 days on a double tap. I'll be waiting another week or 2.

[TapTapTap]

We barely started replacing some drops, clearing branches off the line, and tapping last weekend. And we're way behind since I'm reconfiguring some w/d lines and installing a CDL Sap Lifter that I just took delivery of a week ago. We only got onto the tapping work for a change in pace.

Then, on Monday night, I had an "incident" in the sugarhouse and I sprained my ankle which will keep me out of the woods for a couple of weeks. Fortunately, I've got a guy to help me and he already started the next day. I also have some guys coming to help with the heavier work towards the end of the month. I'll be able to pull it together by the end of February, but my plans and schedule got twisted up just like my ankle.

Ken

[VT_K9]

We are finishing a 400' mainline replacement, need to finish 200' of a new 1400' mainline install, repair two vacuum line/pump line damages from trees, and then we'll start tapping. It will still be a week or so before trees start running.

Mike

[ronewold]

Well, we lost a lot of snow this past week. Up at the sugarbush it is always deeper than at the house, but I am starting to be able to see the base of the trees just a little. I bet there is still a foot of snow, but the trees have holes around them now. Looks like there is a decent chance of a run starting tomorrow. Monday through Wednesday looks like textbook sugaring weather. It's still a week ahead of my plan, but I might just try to tap a couple hundred trees for a "shakedown cruise".
I cut a tree that was laying on the big 1.5" pump line yesterday, and got the line dug up out of the snow and ice. I used the opportunity to tighten up some saggy sections that I had been meaning to improve. I pump sap up from the low place 1500 feet to the sugarhouse, and a line that size gets pretty heavy when it is completely full of sap! It shows me exactly where I didn't tighten up the side ties well enough. When I built this line last year, the first time I pumped sap it stayed in a bunch of low places and froze. I was stuck for days before it got enough sun to thaw the line.
I lost a couple of days of work on my 3/16 tubing this week when I broke my tubing tool. I'm still hoping the folks at CDL will replace it (definitely a manufacturing flaw), but while we are waiting for word on that, my man Dave at Miles Supply were nice enough to weld on a "splint" for the broken arm to get me back to work. I could have done the same myself, but I wouldn't have been as quick. Thanks Dave!
Now I just have the eternal list of little things left to do before everything gets crazy. If it wasn't for the last minute, nothing would ever get done! I know, I say that a lot.