Spring Harvest 2017

[Amber Gold]

Hey All,

First post of the 2017 season. Got the sugarhouse picked up and evap. setup over Christmas break. Been spending the last few weekends getting the woods tuned in preparation for the season. Replaced the last of the drops, so all drops are now a season old or brand new. Woods faired the off-season overall. I had a huge two trunk sugar maple lose one of it's trunks directly on top of a mainline. I spent two hours cleaning that up alone. I had some weird animal chews that I hadn't seen before. Not squirrels. Something with bigger teeth because it was biting through the tubing. No changes in the sugarhouse or woods this year. Things operate pretty smoothly and hoping to keep it that way. Our woods should still be about 900 taps plus whatever sap we can buy in...more the merrier.

I'll be tapping this weekend and should be able to get all of the taps installed in the two days. The following weekend will be turning the vac. on and checking the system over and hoping all's good. If it's warm enough, we'll get the RO machine going and the membrane flushed. For what it's worth, the long range forecast is showing a warm-up not long afterwards.

Here's to a good season everyone!

[Dill]

I was just going to call you and see what your tapping plan was. I think we are in for a cold turn. But actually after a weird Jan, I'd say the weather is back to normal.

[Russell Lampron]

Hey Josh, Good luck with the new season. I was going to ask i you had heard from Alden but see that he replied here.

Hey Alden, How's your new woods coming along?

[red maples]

Hey Josh good luck with the season.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Josh,

Maybe racoons. I had one woods I probably had 100,000 holes in 300 taps. I've been trapping them with dog proof paw traps and caught 10 of them in last month. I have some damage on 2 of my other 4 properties but it has been light on both of them.

[antelope76]

Porcupines love plastic too.

[BAP]

Porcupines will do a lot of damage to tubing and the tree they live in.

[red maples]

really porcupines? I never even thought of that. I have a fisher in my woods but I only see it once in a while usually during hunting season in the fall so I don;t have many porcupines here. but Squirrels... geez. I shot 12 greys this year and I still have more the red squirrels are difficult to get. smaller and smarter spook easier.

porcupines are easy to find in the winter. they are usually by a hemlock or pine stand. once the snow is a bit older with no new snow for a few days look for a well worn path from a hollow tree or old stump or log towards a hemlock and (they love to eat hemlock leaves in winter) and you may find a few quills if so then that might be your culprit.

[Amber Gold]

I hadn't considered porcupine or coons. I've probably had to replace a 6-8 lateral lines because of them and another dozen or so drop lines...Found more today.

Got about 150 tapped today. Hoping tomorrow to finish that mainline (230 total) and another (250) tomorrow and be more productive. Getting the mainlines fine that are the coldest is my idea.

Last weekend we barely had any snow, so I was thinking I'd get all tapping done in a weekend....guess not.

[Dill]

Yup, we are going to spend at least a month on snowshoes. Wasn't too bad today but add in tonights storm and wensday and its going to get deep. We ended up with ice on the lines after yesterday's 3 inches. I was cutting in drops this morning but the 2 handed tool kept icing up.