Tree Health Question

Getting ready to tap and took a look at some of my trees from last year. I noticed that some trees has healed quite nicely while others still have a very noticeable tap hole. The trees all range in size but some of the larger multiple tap trees were more obvious than the smaller - yet some* smallers didnt heal that great either.

The trees are located in a woods that is used for hunting so they get what they can for sunlight between the other trees.

Last year was the first year these trees has been tapped - do I want to tap again or will I kill them?

tap them again. they'll be fine. often they'll take 2 - 3 years to completely "heal" over. they're healing up, just some heal quicker than others.

I agree. Some heal so quickly you can find the hole a year later. Not every tree is the same every year.

Totally agree. They heal at different rates, but they do heal over. I'm sure you are aware, just be careful not to tap ones that are too young.

Sometimes if you hit an unhealthy spot or a diseased tree they won't heal well. But I often have wondered, and they do all heal different. The more healthy quickly growing trees heal faster.

Thank you all for the replies. It's not my property/trees so I wanted to be certain. Next up I have to learn pattern tapping.

I will be tapping this Saturday!

If on gravity, you should move right or left 2-3" and up or down 6". Which ever you go, right or left, always go that way on every tree. If on vacuum, drill on the opposite side of the tree, in year 3 drill half way between year 1 and year 2 old tap holes counter clockwise from hole #2, , then yr 4, opposite yr 3. From there you go back to yr 1 hole and drill halfway between #1 and #3. Continue this pattern always trying to be as far away from the most recent holes as possible. While some use some sort of marker to ID holes, most just look for the old scars, they will show for many years in the bark.

Thanks Dave, I never thought that through before about the possibility of vacuum leaks from last year’s hole

Thanks for the great info!

Looking again at the weather I think it's still a bit early for us on buckets as the weather has changed (shocker right?). Great info here though.

Thanks to all who replied

I just have an off topic question, what does the land being used for hunting have to do with this? Unless hunters are shooting the trees it should not have any affect. My woods are hunted, in fact I have an agent hunter in there during maple season to shoot deer who chew the tubing on nuisance permits.