Norway Maple

[DougM]

Anyone know anything about tapping Norway Maples? The Manual says they are "not commonly used for production", but nothing about sugar content of the sap.

A friend has some large ones right outside his front door, and wanted to know if they would be worth tapping.

Also, can you check sugar content any time of year?

Thanks,
Doug

[mapleman3]

As far as sugar content... it will be starch now.. sugar is only during dormant season so you would'nt get a reading. the sugar turns to starch once the buds come out full.

Norways? as you read from the North American Maple Producers Manual
One exotic maple, Norway maple (Acer platanoides), is commonly planted as an ornamental and street tree and will attain tapable size. It is recognized by the opposite paired arrangements of its leaves and branches, its 7lobed leaf without marginal teeth, and its 11/2 to 2 inch long samara with divergent wings (Figure 3.12). The sap of Norway maple is not commonly used to produce maple syrup.

My guess it is lower than any of the others...

worth a try?

Jim

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Doug,

You could check the sugar content late in the fall or in early winter well after the leaves have fallen off. This would be the best way to decide whether to tap or not. It would still give you friend some time to prepare to make syrup if he wanted to! :D

Brandon

[forester1]

I don't know what the sugar content would be but it is probably low. People have made syrup from boxelder, vine maple in the west, and other maples. The reason syrup wasn't made in europe from norway maple has more to do with the lack of temperature fluctuation in the spring in europe.
In the 18th century sugar maple was imported into europe for sugar plantations. They grew to good size but never produced sugar because spring in europe comes and stays. There is no give and take between warm and cold like in north america.

[mapleman3]

See now why didn't we learn this stuff in school when we were kids...??????

Jim

[forester1]

Rather than learn about this in school, it would have been better to have a three week "sugaring vacation" like they did (do?) in Vermont. The Nearings mention this in their classic The Maple Sugar Book. 8)

[mapleman3]

it's funny.. when I was growing up I was never around Maple suggaring... I do remember tho one time my grandfather doing it in a kettle in the yard... then something about my grandmother getting mad at him for the mess in the kitchen after.. thats all I was around, I never went to a sugarhouse didn't know about them. you folks that grew up with it are very fortunate.. we country implants never had the good life!! except for 2 or 3 visits to the uncles farm in VT. I wish we had a sugar vacation in my younger days!!!!
Jim

[Parker]

I was just reading in the latest "Northern Logger" magizine issue that there is some resaerch being done on the viabilety of tapping silver maples. They say that the trees they tried had a sugar content of at least 1.5% and some were as high as 2%. The reasearch is being done at Southern Illonois University Carbondale. Hope this helps and good luck
Parker