How Do You Determine When to Tap? Maine Folks When Do You Expect to Tap?

[bussell]

If not by the calendar, then what do you go by? When do you expect to tap?

I'm located in Western York County, Maine.

[Dave Lister]

I'm about 45 minutes north of you and am planning on starting around the last weekend of February, unless its still cold of course. All depends on the weather though. Look on www.weather.com for a good week of +32 degree weather. I'll be aiming for sometime during that first good warm spell.

[gmcooper]

Bussel,
In your area I would plan to be ready mid Feb if the weather is decent. If cold you can wait for warmup to tap and with 30 taps you can make it a day to day decision when.
Mark

[bussell]

32+ during the day? 32 Low?

[PerryW]

After a long winter chill, it's going to take a two or three 45 degree (high) days to get things going.

Even a day with a high of 40 will produce very little sap flow because the whole tree is frozen solid.

When you see more than one day of 40deg (high) weather, go ahead and bore a hole or two and hang buckets. If they start filling up , then tap the rest.

[KenWP]

And if you get a couple of days where it dosn't freeze at night be ready for the first night with frost. The trees usually pour the next day if it gets warm enough. We had a week of nothing and then a perfect frost and I was plumb tuckered after a week of sap every day.

[PerryW]

Your right Ken. At the beginning of the season, you often get a big multi-day thaw with no freezes at night . Then you finally get a freeze cold enough to freeze the puddles solid and look out! If it warms up to 40 the next day you will get the mother of all runs.

[TapME]

first week of march is the time to start watching, sometimes sooner but not often. The temps should be 20's at night and mid to high 30's during the day, but this can change if you are taping large roadside trees, they can warm faster for all the asfault keep them warmer during the day. Just keep an eye out for the weather and you should be fine. Test taps usually keep the tapping sickness in check.

[gmcooper]

Over the past 20+ years we have hardley ever made syrup in Feb. We have friends in York county that many years are making syrup in Feb. They maybe have ideal location for early runs but most years they get sap early when we get none.

[MapleME]

I just looked back at my blog which I started each year online when I tapped. I used good judgment but also talked to people and saw when a few big producers got going. It was after March 1st in Brunswick the past 3 years.