We have only been sugaring for about 6 years now but over those years I have noticed a few things about our trees. The most concerning to us for this year being the lack of color in the stems. We start to tap every year when the shoots / stems and buds have a nice red look to them and the buds have begun to firm up (about 6 to 7 weeks before actually budding). For us this is a week or so before the sap starts to flow. This year we are still not even seeing the slightest color change. Not to be fooled completely are planning to tap within the next week. Does anyone else notice the lack of color in the tops of the trees this year? Could the cold have killed off the the thinner stems? Just looking for insight.