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Thread: Maple Tap Act

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Up on Da Border Eh. Upstate NY
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    244

    Default Maple Tap Act

    Ok I read the skinny on the Gov. Website about the Proposed Tap Act here in NY. It is Basically A grant for a study to allow producers to gain access to more trees. Maybe even state lands which I really doubt knowing NYS track records in the woods. Seems to me this study $$ some 20 Million would be better spent on grants to small sugar bush operators helping them to establish a bush and production equipment. From what I read this money will be spent on a study not on a solid means to help boost production. Please weigh in on this if I'm wrong?
    Tap'em if ya got'em.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    smithville flats ny near binghamton
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    600

    Default

    Well the DEC has put out a couple of small sugarbushes for bid. In our area, it was one with only 140 taps in it. Way too small for me to bother with. And you will have to jump through a million hoops to tap it. I called up our Regional office and talked to the man in charge of the program here. My biggest concern with their requirements is that basically you will have to make the wood s accessible to to people walking the woods during the off season. Which means raising the mainlines 8 feet high every 100 feet and taking down the lateral lines. Not worth my time. Also you would have to maintain any roads or laoding areas by placing shale in any areas that may be daamged due to trucking, chainsaw safety course certificates if you need to tun a saw, documentation of insurance and such on workers, and many more that i can't remember right now. Just look it up under Lands and Recreation at the DEC website.

    While talking with the fellow at DEC, he said that he had to keep the site and resources accessible to everyone and make the State money. My response to that was that when the state has a lot logged off, the resource (the trees) are not accessible to anyone any longer. He really didn't have an answer to that. Any way, I didn't have any luck trying to get any bigger woods at this time.
    shrunken producer, from 8,000 taps to 4,000 to 5800 to 9500 to 11,000 vac
    5x16 woodchip fired evaporator with 5x10 max flue and 5x6 revolution front pan
    CDL 20+ RO
    Double 10"filterpress

    sp-11, bb2, airtech L63, L160, L230 vac pumps
    CDL low profile electric releaser
    MES 8000 electric releaser
    CDL 4000 tap mechanical releaser

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Up on Da Border Eh. Upstate NY
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    244

    Default

    Lew that sounds about right for NYSDEC make it so tough you won't bother with it. But in the same breath they ask why nobody wants to tap the land
    Tap'em if ya got'em.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Potsdam in far northern New York
    Posts
    775

    Default

    Indeed, the money would be better spent by directly assisting with upgrades. There are plenty of trees out there that won't need state oversite, and plenty of landowners who could make a buck with either sugaring or rental to others. The hardware is expensive though, and most small producers expand or improve their operations on an out-of-pocket basis.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Hoosick Falls
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    2,000

    Default

    I run a snowmobile club and work with two DEC offices/ foresters. Even though they are next to each other they have different views and rules. There will be large sections of woods available. They offered logging in many different size lots in this area before. What many did was contract on adjoining tracks to make it large enough to make worth while.
    as for the chainsaw class...it is offered by CCE...Cornell Cooperative Extension and for snowmobile members thru NYSSA annually. I have been thru three of these classes and they are great! I have run saws for over 30 years and learn something new every class. Hans from Paul Smiths was the best instructor.
    As for the S of NY spending money wisely... have you ever seen a gov't program spend money as a farmer or business man would? For every $1 a person received there is $10 that was spent to get it to them. LOL.

    Ben

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
    Posts
    11,547

    Default

    Not to be negative, but the ratio may be closer to 20 to 1, where government spends $20 for every $1 that gets to the person or need!
    Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
    Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
    Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
    After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Central Wisconsin
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    6

    Default

    In my opinion avoid any Gov. help and fund your own expansion. All the Gov. does is spend other peoples money.
    abk

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Lake Placid NY
    Posts
    3

    Default Money = study +money=study= No money no results no product study it till we have no $

    $$$$$$$$$$$
    Quote Originally Posted by Burnt sap View Post
    Ok I read the skinny on the Gov. Website about the Proposed Tap Act here in NY. It is Basically A grant for a study to allow producers to gain access to more trees. Maybe even state lands which I really doubt knowing NYS track records in the woods. Seems to me this study $$ some 20 Million would be better spent on grants to small sugar bush operators helping them to establish a bush and production equipment. From what I read this money will be spent on a study not on a solid means to help boost production. Please weigh in on this if I'm wrong?

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Potsdam in far northern New York
    Posts
    775

    Default

    So now a year has gone by, and I haven't heard a word about ANY of this. Have the frittered away the money doing a study? Has anyone been assisted by the TAP act? Has anyone heard from the State that there's a program of some sort running?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Beaver Falls,NY
    Posts
    249

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Greer View Post
    So now a year has gone by, and I haven't heard a word about ANY of this. Have the frittered away the money doing a study? Has anyone been assisted by the TAP act? Has anyone heard from the State that there's a program of some sort running?
    As a New Yorker I'm proud to say that the Maple Tap Act was another huge success for New York State. It accomplished everything it was supposed to, stuff some very deep pockets of a very few. Hope you didn't think our State Government has received some sort of moral uplifting.

    sugarsand
    4x12 arch
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    600 buckets town trees
    1500 3/16 taps
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    member NYMPA
    Director American Maple Museum
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    Retired(now working for free)
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