Heating trees through a cold snap...

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Originally Posted by n8hutch

Maybe you could take a Day trip Wednesday to a few Sugar houses , Soak it all in sample some things and relax. What you are contemplating doing seems kind of like alot of trouble for very little return. So if it would me I'd try and find something else fun to do that I wouldn't necessarily have time for because on a normal ideal year I'd be boiling sap.

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I think this is a great idea. Try to find a couple smallish producers where you still get to see sap and a fire and drop in for a visit.

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Originally Posted by Russell Lampron

When sap lows on gravity it runs down the tree. Unless the sun was hot enough to thaw the branches heating the trunks would be a waste of time. If this weekend is a carbon copy of last weekend I don't think it will work.

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Correct answer. You may get a little dribble of sap, but probably not a lot. You are likely to spend a lot of money in propane cost with relatively little to show for it.

I have three huge sugar maples, 25 ft apart, all the same size. I think I'll make one of them a control, one will get a little heat, the third will get more. First day all three will be unheated to get a baseline, then the next day I'll try the experiment, so we'll see if there are any big differences!

Wait I have to go unplug the electric blankets on my trees.
The seem to work for us!
Regards,
Chris

So are you going to use old tire on tree three? If you don't have access to old tires furniture will make a good hot fire too. Drive around the night before trash day and grab a couple couches.

Okay, okay, sarcasm is easy when you've got all winter to wait for the weather to cooperate. I'm willing to think a little outside the box given the constraints. Lots of ideas are stupid, but not trying anything is antithetical to my person!

If you do indeed try this make sure to use a thermometer on each trunk so you can report your findings.
I have my doubts it will work, but at the same time I remain optimistic.

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Originally Posted by IWDaddo

Okay, okay, sarcasm is easy when you've got all winter to wait for the weather to cooperate. I'm willing to think a little outside the box given the constraints. Lots of ideas are stupid, but not trying anything is antithetical to my person!

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I don't think you're hurting anybody by trying. It's your time and energy. However, to try to turn this into an experiment with a baseline and a control group though I think is a bit of a stretch, no? You've got a sample size of 3. I have trees the same size 20 feet apart that NEVER do the same as all the others.

Given the seemingly random nature of sap flow from day to day, and from tree to tree, I'm not exactly sure what "findings" there will be to report. There are too many variables to control. I think any perceived variation in sap flow you see in your trees that are warmed will be no more significantly different than if those results were due to random chance.

Don't bother replying to this thread, peeps. He's determined to go burn himself a bunch of money, possibly destroy his trees,and burn down his neighbourhood. So let him. I'm sure the results will soon turn up on CNN and FoxNews.

No. Just no.