Proper Basal area?

[Parker]

I will be thinning out a 31 acre bush this winter and setting up a pipeline system,,,,,I have read the "Maple producers manual" and have a pretty good idea what I would like to do BUT,,,I know when I do silvicutural thinnings I try to end up with a Basal area of about 70,,,Is that what I should shoot for in the bush??? Thanks Parker

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[forester1]

It would depend on the average diameter of trees, like Kevin says. But 70 sq. ft. is good to shoot for. Remember it is just an average so some areas of really nice maple you may want to keep higher maybe up to 90 if you need the taps and other areas with a lot of other species or poorly formed trees you can go lower. I would try to stay above 60 sq.ft. Otherwise you may get sunscald or maple borer damage, plus the area would not be fully stocked with trees and some growing space would be wasted. I would be sure to open the crowns on two sides of the crop trees more than 9 inches in diameter. I try to open up the smaller trees on all sides of the crown as long as they are starting out dominant or codominant in the canopy, that is at least part of the crown is in the overstory. Removing all crown competition for 10-15 feet around these smaller trees seems like a lot but the crowns will close in within 10 or 15 years and it will be time for another thinning.

[forester1]

I just dug out my copy of Sugarbush management for Maple Producers by C. F. Coons put out by the Ontario Government Bookstore 880 Bay St. Toronto, Ontario. This is the best book I've seen on sugarbush management. 41 pages. Recommended Basal Area for natural stands of sugar maple for sap production are:
Average stand DBH 4"- BA 15 sq. ft.
DBH 6- BA 25
DBH 8 -BA 34
DBH 10- BA 43
DBH 12- BA 50
DBH 16- BA 64
DBH 18- BA 69
DBH 20- BA 74
DBH 22- BA 79
DBH 24- BA 82
DBH 26- BA 85
DBH 28- BA 89
DBH 30- BA 93

Since many stands have different diameters(DBH) throughout, or are unevenaged you would have to interpolate. I would be careful removing so much to get down to this level of stocking if the trees are crowded now. I think I would thin first to about 70 BA and after the trees started to recover and respond then I would do another thinning maybe 5 years later.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[Parker]

Kevin and Jerry- Thanks for the great information I will try to put it to good use,,,,,The stand is even aged,,,the result of someone cutting all the pine on the site 30 or so years ago,,Its a mix of soft maple, beech, black and yellow birch and poplar with a high concentration of rockies,,,,I think it has some real potential as we will be thinning it out when the rock maple is all about 9-12" DBH....I am real excited to be able to wacth the results over the next 10-20 years,,,,Agine thanks for the help and anyone up for a little painting???Parker

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[Parker]

Kevin- I have the paint gun and 6 quart quart cans of light blue and 6 gallon cans of light blue,,bring your paint gun and prism,,Ill supply the trees and beer.......parker

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[forester1]

Parker your tree mix sounds about like mine only no black birch here and I have some red oak, plus a lot of hemlock. A few basswood and ironwood too. It is very interesting and satisfying watching your trees grow over the years. Especially seeing the results of your management. Good luck with it.

[Parker]

Well I moved my HYDRO-AX the the bush yesterday and started cutting in the road system,,I was pretty suprised that the rock maples I cut were not running with the 42 deg. temps we had {north face?},,Man, there are going to be a lot of taps there,,,It is pretty nerve wracking sitting in the shear, looking at a groupe of rockies, wondering witch one to cut,,I am going to bring my paint gun today, I think that will make it easier,,walk around and look at the crowns and make a decision,,paint, then cut

[forester1]

I agree Parker. Paint first, then cut. Better decisions if the two operations are kept separate.

[Parker]

Sunday I spent a few hours walking around the 30 acres trying to paint trees and figure just where I am going to run lines,,,JERRY-I bought the cheap paint from Ben Meadowes,,,It looked like a frozen beer when I opened it and took a long time to thaw out with my torches in the back of the truck,,,does the good paint (Nelson) freeze?,,I seem to remember at UNH painting when it was cold out and no problem,,,yesterday was aggravating ,,but you are right ,,works much better to paint first altough,,i would probally be useing MUCH less paint if I were painting the save trees,,,
Are there any people out there that dont tap red maple,,,If I were to tap the reds Id have about 3 times the taps but have always been told its a bad idea, they turn buddy early ect,,,,Comments,,,Maple Hill,,how about you,,,Others???they are some of the biggest reds I have seen around...

[maplemaniac65]

Hey There Parker,

I have a mix of red and rock maples along a 1000ft of stone wall. The sugar content ran as high as 2.7 this year and good clear sap all spring. I am not bashful about tapping reds but do not go out of my way to find one. If it is there tap it by all means.

[forester1]

Parker, I always use the Nelson paint and a Nelson gun. The guns last the longest I've found. I've used the paint to 25 below or so plus stored in a garage much colder. It does get thicker but still runs without resorting to heating. The Nelson plastic guns are a little cheaper but last a long time, plus they can be rebuilt. I have one I've been using for about 5 years with no problems so far. The metal ones will cause a blister sometimes since the trigger is shorter. I had big calluses when using those plus borderline carpel tunnel. Since I've been using the plastic with the longer trigger, no problems. The trecoder guns will leak after a while as they are made for the thinner marking ink and not paint.
As far as the red maple, I have no experience, but I wonder since the red maples bud a couple weeks before the sugar maple, it would contaminate the sap during the late season. Maybe you could pull the taps of the reds and continue with the sugar.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Parker-Like Jerry said Nelson paint is the one.Last January when i marked way to many trees to remember it was colder then a witch's-you know what? It was about 0 to -5 below out and figured nothing better to do then mark trees as it was too cold to work on tubing. Paint held up good. The longer trigger on the plastic Nelson guns are tireless to operate and yes no blisters.
About tapping red maple i presently have about 10 taps for soft maple out of the 2100 taps in the woods/Mostly to hold up long spans in between trees. They do bud earlier and will cloud up your sap but if your on top of the boiling daily you should still be making good syrup.(It normally will have a more reddish hue to the color then a brownish dark grade)
I figure there is about 1400 red maples and 400 sugar maples taps that i will eventually add to the tubing system that will all run into the sugarhouse so most of my next thinnings will take place among the red maples.I have started thinning on some red maple areas 3 years ago and most of them are now near and over 10" from about 7"-8" then.Although i'm not sure if i want to run almost 3/4 of a mile of mainline just to get into the group of 400 taps the others are just adding into the boosters but still close to 1/2 mile beyond the apple orchard booster to the end where the mainline would stop.I'll Figure it out.

Tell you what i have this next week off starting on this friday-I'd donate the day to come down and paint and you do the cutting? Thats this friday the 14TH. And i'll bring my paint + gun. If it Sound ok with you??? Let me know where your thinning?

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Parker- I probably should have added to my post above that you are not going to get near the production of syrup per tap with red maples that you would get if you were tapping sugar maples due to the reds budding early+ a little lower sugar %-Your probably looking at say around 7+ trees per gal. of syrup? -VS- Sugar maple is closer to 4 trees.

[Parker]

Kevin- Wow Thanks,,can you do it only on fri or is a day lateron in the week a possibility,,tenitivly planning on going to VT after evap on fri,,,but will plan that move around your schedual, and I will be happy to spend a day at your place if you need a hand with something in return,,thanks agine,,

[Parker]

Directions---from the junction of rte 4 and rte. 11 in andover take rte.11 towards franklin go about 4 miles,,you will go down over a long hill nice open fields on both sides of the road, at bottom of hill Dyers crossing road on right and left go straight thru on rte 11 another 1/2 mile bush is on right, you will see a pull off on right and my shear shuold be visable from road, if you go over RR bridge you went too far ,Thanks

[Parker]

Now we are moving the evap on sat so fri. is great

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Parker-I know where you are. It's the bush along Rt.11?It's after the Hereford cow farm and theres a road that shoots uphill on the right after the fields-Now the bush starts on the righthand side after that road on the right hand side with all posted signs along Rt.11-I always said to myself about 10-15 years ago and everytime i drive by there thats has great potential-Looks to be 2,000 taps or more in there from the road to the bridge over the railroad(If they go in more then what you can see from the road). Thought i seen a rig parked at the old log road into there near the bridge about a month ago? Was that you? I'll be there Friday around 7:30 am.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Parker- Have you got somewhat of an idea of how your going to lay out your tubing system in there? Gonna be trickey in there? Maybe i should bring a can or two of Hot Pink Aero spot with me and we can mark out where your mainlines will run?

[Parker]

Yes that is the place and yes that probaly was me stumbling around in there saying to my self "i wonder wich trees I should cut",,I have put up some hot pink ribbion where I plan on running line,,we better stick with ribbion for the mainelines caus the landowner is VERY asthecitly sensetive,,I have a bunch of rolls of ribbion on hand,,7:30 Ill be there, Thanks, Parker

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Parker- If you think of it bring some of your paint with you and i will try it in my gun. I'll bring the paint i have just in case. Looking back at the earlier posts-Yes that stand is even-aged and a good general mix of other hardwoods in there and the maples are just waiting to be tapped. I've must have looked at that bush 100 times while driving by there(Dreaming someday of seeing tubing in there) even though it's about 40 miles away from me right now.
Guess i'll have to tank up on a loggers breakfast before i head out at 630am-Could be an all day and longer event. See you there at 730am.

[Parker]

You better get all pumped up on chow caus now ther is about 8 inches of snow there and a crust on it after the rain,,looks like we are in for some rain today also,,,plus its on a side hill that goes for some distance,,,yesterday I flagged off about a 10 acre area where the bulk of the maples are,,might be easire that we,,up to you,,I CANT FIND MY POP LEVEL ANYWHERE!!! if you have one on hand that would be cool for the conductor line but I am sure we can get by with out it,,Ill bring a bunch of paint and ribbon,,,,see you in a few,,off after diesel now

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Parker-thinking on the way home today about your paint? I'd wait until the wife was sleeping and pour the paint into a blender and add a couple of tablespoons of paint thinner or mineral spirits into the pitcher and put the cover on and run it on high for a minute(That should cure it?)-Next day go out and buy her a new blender and she'll love you for it.

Give me a shout as soon as you get that thinned so we can go over the lay of the land another time and then we'll figure out what you'll need for materials.It was Dominion&Grimm and Leader that wanted over $1000 for the twin milkcan sap extractor-Bascoms and Waterloo/Small are still $900.

[forester1]

You might try asking a hardware store or paint store to run it in their paint shaker. I did that once with a box of 12 cans of tree paint that had clumps in the bottom from sitting around too long. It helped the paint run better. It helps if you are a regular customer or at least buy something.

[Parker]

Well this cold snap is saving my butt in terms of thinning this woods!!!!!I have been shearing the last 4 days and making some good progress,,its very wet in there and we have to pack snow/brush into the wet spots,,the next day you can skid over them,,I brought my cable skidder over and 2 grapple skidders,unfortunatly no room ffor the yard crane on the landing,,,hopefully stays cold for the next week or so and we will pretty well have it,,sure looks nice in spots now nothing but rockies!!!

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

I took the 35-40 mile trip down to parkers sugarbush thinning that he is working on today and was impressed with the thinning and the helpers-Everything was running better then a well oiled machine with the 3 skidders moving logs-Parker was keeping ahead of the 2 grapplers chopping up a storm and cable skidding the trees to the log roads and the grapplers were hauling them to the landing. Also he found some red maple tops that the buds have already popped out a while ago-I think it was from some of the bigger red maple in there that they were cutting.I looked up at the smaller reds and nothing showing yet.

[Parker]

Kevin- thanks for the kind words,,,you should have seen me go when I was in my twenties!!!!Old and tired now,, a good crew can make anyone look good,,,,but it is the resdiual stand that counts there ,,not production,,I think we can get it finished if the weather holds a littel while longer,thanks for the hand moving the tank too,many hands make light work,,Ill be in touch