Tap Hole Not Healed

[valleyman]

A couple of things, I was looking at a beautiful old sugar maple I tapped last year and in the fall the leaves colored up and dropped earlier than the surrounding maples in the same area. Last week I revisited the tree and noticed the tap hole was still deep. All the other trees the holes have closed up.

Question. It is one of the largest and best trees I tap. Do you think its safe to put one tap in it this season?

[Haynes Forest Products]

Sounds like the tree is in decline. Now do you see good healthy looking buds on the tree just like the young ones in the area. Trees set there buds in the fall for the spring start up and then start swelling when its TIME. What do you see? Do a snap test on a few branches are they dead. Lastly I dont think 1 tap is going to kill the tree and not taping it wont save it. If its feeling poorly then give it a break

[valleyman]

Yea, I'm trying to justify sticking her one more time but the moral side of me agrees with you about letting her rest. I'll check the buds and branches. Thanks for tapping into my guilt.:cry:

[red maples]

how big is the tree? and what size tap did you use 5/16? all of the trees I tapped last year are closed up except 2 which are about 3/4 of the way closed. and they happen to be the biggest trees that I tapped they have a bunch of buds a few dead branches the tree is getting bigger and th ecrown looks fuller than it did 2 years ago. there were trees taken from around them last year too. someone told me that a tree peaks around 70 year s or so. and sometimes the taps holes on an older tree may take longer to heal especially if a spider or insect decides to make its residence in the tap hole. I say it up to you if you if you tap it or not.

[3rdgen.maple]

It is not abnormal for the big old ones to take alot longer to close up. Atleast that is the way it has been for years on my big ole maples. The younger ones close up fast. I still tap those beast and have for years.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

It is not abnormal for the big old ones to take alot longer to close up. Atleast that is the way it has been for years on my big ole maples. The younger ones close up fast. I still tap those beast and have for years.


Agreed with you on that one as I have some big old trees probably well over 200 years old and excuse my grammer, but they ain't going to heal up like a small tree nearly as quick.

[Rhino]

Valleyman, A person sure hates to see a good tree go bad, but in my opinion, if one more tap hole puts that old gal over the edge and it dies completely, it had alot more issues with it and nothing would of helped it. Might as well try to get a few more seasons out of it and see what happens. like i said thats just an opinion. good luck.

[3rdgen.maple]

I got to think the same Rhino if the thing dies after another tap it was dead to begin with.

[Dave Y]

A sugar maple can live up to 300-350 years. A red maple 150-250 years. It has survived way more than you tapping it. And tapping it wont kill it, no matter what condition it is in. I have tapped trees that are completly dead on one side, and they are still standing. But do what makes you feel the best.

[Revi]

We have only young maples, 100 years old at the oldest. I think I would tap lightly on those senior citizens. No more than 3 taps per tree no matter how big it is.

[TapME]

I switched a couple of years ago to the 5/16 taps on the trees. The smaller holes heal faster and that makes the homeowners happy and keeps me taping the trees. Just my thoughts.

[ennismaple]

There's lots of research out there about taphole closure rates - I think on either the Proctor or UVM websites. It's quite normal for tapholes to not completely close up in a year, even with 5/16" spouts so go ahead and tap it again this spring.

[red maples]

A sugar maple can live up to 300-350 years. A red maple 150-250 years. It has survived way more than you tapping it. And tapping it wont kill it, no matter what condition it is in. I have tapped trees that are completly dead on one side, and they are still standing. But do what makes you feel the best.

that is very true after I read what dave said if you think about all the natural stuff that happens. ice storms, heavy snow, broken branches, insects, sap suckers, wood peckers and the unnatural like the road side trees that get prunes by the road crews and tree companies.

I have a big red maple my guess is 125 yrs old. it is next to the house and we had to have 1 very large branch trimmed off a few years ago about 12 inches in diameter that was hanging over the house. after we had it cut the tree didn't look that good after the first year but now it beginning to grow over the cut limb and new growth new small branches and healing over the dead braches its doing great!!!

[Squaredeal]

I try to look at the holes from the last three years to help determine what is going on. One hole not closed - no problem. Two or three holes not closing up - I give the tree a break for a year and watch it over the summer.
That being said, I am a conservative tapper and and almost all trees now have only one tap -unless they are huge.
Two taps on a 15"-20" tree make it hard to find a good place to tap after only a couple of years, and, there's research that shows that with high vacuum that one tap is all it takes to remove much of the available sap.

[red maples]

I looked at the NAMSPM and it said a healthy tree will close up the hole after 1-3 yrs.