Another new year .....early run potential?

[Tomten]

Hunting is over, a new shack is built and plans for the oven ready to go, but will the tree's ???

A strange winter this year with temps hovering in the freezing range for the last 3 wks. Potential seems to be there based on trends anyway for an earlier thna normal run.

ANybody have any thouthts

[markcasper]

I am planning for an earlier start to the season. Am going to try and focus on actually being ready, rather than having sap on hand and the pans not down as in some years.

There is virtually no frost whatsoever in my woods this year, unlike last where there was 2+ feet of it. So that tells me that when the temps do get above freezing, things are gonna go and the frost won't be a limiting factor in sap flow.

The earliest I ever tapped was Feb 17th and I was boiling 3-4 days later. That was in 02. Most years though, it seems like I never get much sap before March 15th. Unless things change in Febuary, which they very well may, I think it will be an early season. BUT, I have seen March with several days of below zero, so one just has to wait and see a little.
Yes its unusually warm now, but remeber back to the first half of December?, it was much colder than normal and things often balance out in the end.

I checked the 15 day outlook for the days ahead: Warmer next week, close to 40 a few days, but the week after sounds to be real cold, subzero again. Its too early to tap yet here.

[markcasper]

After hearing all of the chatter of people tapping, even in Vermont, I figured I would put a couple sample taps in for myself.

It was only around 30 here today, but sunny for the most part. The snow is all but gone on the south side hills. I tapped 1 sugar maple and 1 red maple with 5/16" spiles. I tapped both on the south, southwest side. I was getting a drop every 4 seconds from the sugar maple and 1 every 23 seconds from the red maple.

The next few days are to be around 45, but then cool off gradually to below freezing day temps by the end of the week.

A little excited, but no one has ever planted a garden outside in March, so why should i be tapping in January. The sun really doesn't have the power to do much yet and often times when it does get this warm in January, it is very windy and trees don't like lots of wind. Mark

[Brad W Wi]

I'm getting the bug to tap as well. The earliest I've tapped was Feb 14. The forcast that I catch is for warmer weather at least for the next 5 days in the upper 30's to 40 for SE Wisc. with sun shine. It's an odd year to say the least. I'm planning on a early year, but I don't want to get my taps out there to early nor do I want to miss the early sap. You can only go day by day. I'll wait till Feb. and then check out the long range forcast. I'll start out with just a few taps to test the water so to speak.

I've got a question guys. If I were to tap some of my trees now, and then we got a wicked freeze up in Feb., would my tapholes close for the season? Sorry for the run on sentence.LOL! This is my situation. My land has more trees than I can tap. I have several reds and sugars that face south and get full sun all day. If they did close up by March, that would be okay. But, can they be re-tapped in March without harm to the tree? I have time now and we have a few warm days ahead.

-Dan

[Packerfan]

That was not a "guest". It was me, Packerfan.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

If it freezes good, it won't hurt the holes very much. What hurts the holes is the warm weather.

[Packerfan]

Thanks Brandon!

[markcasper]

Sample tap update: 1 sugar maple tapped yesterday was running a drop every 2 seconds @3 pm 1-26-06. Red maple, a drop every 8 seconds, same time.

About 1 pint of sap from the sugar and 1 cup from the red. Sugar%, 3.2%from the hard maple, 1.5% from the red maple. About 14 for a low last night and 45 today with strong south winds......raining steady now.

I was boiling my 1 pint and a cup of sap on the stove and ended up with Commercial......and some smoke. It burned up on the stove while i was downstairs on the Trader. The smoke woke the baby up, as well as the wife. See what this Maple Trader has done for me....at least I can say i made syrup in January.. 8)