Tap or Don't Tap

[220 maple]

This past Saturday I scouted a woods for another cousin who is considering getting into syrup making. He had told me for the last several years that there was maple trees on his in-laws property. They own about 200 acres and I'm guessing 175 acres is wooded. As of today I'm still semi-shocked at what I seen or should I say what I didn't see. I didn't cover every inch of the property but from what I did see, Not one Sugar Maple Tree! Probably 2000 Red Maples of tappable size. They might be a stray Sugar hid somewhere? He said he would walk the property and put ribbons around any tree that is big enough to tap. I told him he would have alot of money in ribbon. I have mostly Sugars in the woods that I tap. I suggested that he start small with maybe 100 to 200 taps and see if he likes making syrup before investing alot of money. Is their anyone on here that has only 100 to 200 taps only in Red Maples? What would be your suggestions for taping Red Maple Sugar bush only.


Mark 220 Maple

[THCPrecision]

I tap probably 60% red maples and had a decent year depends who you talk to I guess redd may bud a little sooner. but my sugar content held up with my sugar maples all year. I checked it all the time since I was told softs or reds have a little lower sugar content. to many with ro's this doesn't play as much of a factor. It was just as much fun maybe a shade darker syrup some say. see what the DR says. Some are just so strict to tradition. To each their own Enjoy

[sapman]

I would say my experience was about the same as above. Over 2/3 of my taps are reds/silvers.
I remember Glenn Goodrich telling of an installation they did years ago. They got to the woods, and asked the guy where the maples were. He pointed to thousands of reds. So they proceded to set up something like 12,000 taps on reds. The guy made 5000~ gallons of syrup that year!

[220 maple]

Sapman,
That's the risk I have in having him start small knowing that on a gravity system he might have a poor season and become discouraged. My hope is that he starts small and discovers making syrup is more fun than a person should be allowed. Also he has two young sons that are at the perfect age to get started in Maple. He's planning on having them help him put ribbons around trees. I'm sure they won't get bored from not finding trees to mark, they may get tired of tying ribbons and a stiff neck from looking up to verifly the Red Maple leaf. He and his wife hope it becomes a family event with her parents and her two uncles that live on the farm where the trees are located.
Her dad and one uncle are retired and need a hobby bad. I told them Sat. they have the one thing that a lot of people don't have and that is trees even though they are Red Maples.

Mark 220 Maple

[Russell Lampron]

Reds are finicky when tapping them with buckets or gravity tubing. They may not get much sap without vacuum. The reds will produce good syrup so if that is what they have tap them, hope for the best and plan on adding vacuum when they expand.

[Maplewalnut]

When tapping reds, starting small should be a dairy pump and tube. I agree with Russ, buckets and gravity tubing can be very discouraging. My sugar content on reds is as good as my sugar maple trees in the woods but not as good as the sugar roadsides. We have heard the horror stories about gravity the last few years, especially from here in PA, I would hate to see someone get turned off the first year

[adk1]

I will be tapping around 70 sugars and 20 reds. will be using sap sacks..will be interesting

[DrTimPerkins]

...see what the DR says.

I say (and we do at the UVM PMRC) tap them.

[jimsudz]

I was taught at Paul Smiths to only tap the sugars but alot of the locals around western ny seem to be tapping the softs as well.Only the old timers disagree.This season I will double my taps by tapping my softs I'm anxtious to see if it's a bust. Still managing my bush for sugars.

[SPILEDRIVER]

i tap everything with the word maple in its name!mine are split evenly between sugars/silvers/reds...just got to keep a eye on the reds and silvers as the sap turns sooner

[Russell Lampron]

I tap mostly reds because that is what I have on my land. I have them on vacuum and maintain 21 to 23 inches of vacuum. For the past 2 seasons they have yielded close to 20 gallons of sap per tap. When I tapped some of them with buckets I would find that some of them would run good, others would run a little and some not at all. With vacuum they all run, you can see it in the drops.

I'm not saying that this guy should go out and buy a vacuum pump and releaser just to try it. I think that he should be prepared to have a poor season and plan on vacuum in the future if he likes making syrup. I also think that he will like making syrup.

[red maples]

last year was my first year and I tap about 85-90%reds because thats what I have on my property as well. makes great syrup later in the season it will have redish hue to it looks great in glass. If you can find a cheap small vacuum and releaser I would highly recomend it because like Russ said the reds are finicky. mine don't like to run especially this past year as soon as that vacuum is on I get lots of sap. when they are on gravity one might run the next one might not the next only a few drops.

mine just budded extra early this year and therfore the sap turned early as well.

Set him up!!! but buckets and gravity are risky with reds.

[ADKMAPLE]

Hmmm, are there any logical explanations for the difference in Reds/sugars when it comes to building pressure in order for the sap to flow via gravity? Sugar maple is a densier wood that is for sure. Just curious

[red maples]

maybe the good Dr. could help us this one!! I thought I read somewhere that it did have something to do with the desity of the wood fibers???

[DrTimPerkins]

maybe the good Dr. could help us this one!! I thought I read somewhere that it did have something to do with the desity of the wood fibers???

In sugar maple, sap sugar content (and thus likely pressure) are related to the density (quantity per unit area, not hardness) of ray cells. Not sure that this has been well studied in red maple.

Tim Wilmot (Maple Extension Specialist at UVM PMRC) published a good article on tapping red maples in "Farming" a few months back. You can find it here: http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/?Page=wilmotcolumn.htm