Trees to Tap in Mid Coast Maine

[MapleME]

Hey folks just a last-ditch effort to see if anyone had any ideas for me- Looking for 10-15 sugar maples in the Brunswick/Topsham/Freeport area I could access to hang a bunch of buckets. Im been searching for a few extra trees to add this year but I figured I would ask here to see if anyone had some ideas.

thanks, mapleme

[TapME]

I know for a fact that there are some old maples on Bodoin college that are virgin trees. About 15 to 20. LOL
Have you tried towards Durham?

[maple flats]

You just need to drive around, locate trees and do some asking. You will likely get many "no's" but if you persist you will get some to tap. I have found rural roadside trees fairly easy to gain permission. I find woodlots a little more difficult to get permission. Start by asking friends and neighbors, co-workers etc.
Good luck.

[gmcooper]

Maple ME,
It has been a while but if I remember out near the Frazier farm on Collins brook road (in Brunswick) or near them there were a bunch of road side maples. That was quite a few years ago and maybe I'm off a bit on location but we used to go there some and think they were close if not right there.
Another idea is to check the cemetaries in the area. Some of the old ones had a lot of sugar maples planted. A couple guys around here tap in them with buckets. All they did was ask the town.

[Revi]

Don't forget the Reds. There are probably lots of those in the Brunswick area.

There are usually more of those in one place. You could find a place to tap them and get a lot of sap in one area.

[MapleME]

I appreciate the ideas gang. I guess I need to do some driving with someone better at ID'ing trees than me. Will keep you updated. I like the Red maple idea. that would be a good supplmement of sap!

[maple flats]

The easiest way to identify them is look for trees with opposite branching, if opposite branching it is a maple (often only seen near branch ends/twigs because the others got broken off along the way) and then look for sharp pointed bud tips this time of year (this can often be seen at the tips of the lowest branches) The pointed buds are sugar maples. As you identify one look at the bark, which changes thru the stages of life of the tree. With time you will be good at it.

[Revi]

Red maples are the dominant species in the coastal plain of Maine.

They grow in sandy or wet places that sugars won't tolerate.

You will find thousands you can tap all around Brunswick. They have reddish buds that start to swell early in the spring. There are silvers around as well. Box elders are tappable as well.

The Norway maple is tappable and is a street tree. You'll find backyards full of them all over the place. They are tough and can take tapping. They have ash like bark and sugar maple like leaves.

Between all these, I'm sure you can find hundreds of trees within a half mile of your house.

[MapleME]

wouldnt you know I live on an old tree farm along River Road that was stripped of tress in the 20's and 30. And of course, they planted PINE TREES everyplace!!!!!

I will keep searchin!
MapleME

[Revi]

You should check to see if any trees that grow up since the 20's are red maples. They are tough trees, and may be all around you. I see thousands of them all over the midcoast region. Also you might want to look in backyards for Norways. They are the dominant tree in most towns.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_platanoides

I used to tap a lot of them. The syrup tastes the same. They seem to run a little earlier than Sugars.

[TapME]

MapleME, the mid coast was also hit very hard with the big fires of 47 and that could be some of your problem also. Keep looking in the yards of homes in the area and you will find more trees to tap than you need.