If a tree tapped one year produces a good quantity

[eastcoasttapper]

and the next two years produces very little, what can I do?

We only have about 30 trees. We have several that when we tapped them the first year, produced quite a bit of sap. The next two years they did not produce very much. I just tapped in on the weekend. The other trees were producing sap as we tapped in. Again, this handful of trees stayed dry.

Should I drill deeper on these trees? Anything you would recommend?

[ebourassa]

i have some trees that produce better one year than others, also check where you tapped on the tree if you are near a knot or other abnormalities of the tree it might produce less sap, I know red maples can be unpredicable, i tapped one and it was pouring sap all seaon then the following yeat nothing, then the 3rd year it ran great again.

[KenWP]

Most likely your hitting part of the tree that dosn't produce. I had trees that just never produced last year and on the other side of the tree did. Drilling deeper won't help as the sap comes from the outer layer of the tree.