Marking trees.

[ash10383]

Ear tags is a neat idea... being as they are generally numbered, it might help out with "mapping" your bush, etc... They are kind of expensive though, if you had to go and buy several hundred.

I know some people would lynch me for saying so... I really don't see a huge issue with driving an aluminum nail into a mature maple tree.. If the tree is ever logged, the scar will be less than a spile hole.. and will most likely be in the slab-wood and aluminum wont wreck a saw-blade.

I only have around 60 trees and several 100 tags I bought in a bunch of junk from a auction once. So it would be no cost really.

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[maple flats]

I think you're better off learning to ID the maples without marking them. Right now ID from leaves and then observe the bark. In sugar maples it changes quite a bit from a 6" tree to a mature tree, look at those changes.
One thing, once you sort of learn the bark on the main tapable maples (sugar maple, Red maple, Silver maple and if it grows in your area Black maple), realize that all maples send out opposite branches, but most of the opposites get broken off, thus, use a good pair of binoculars to search the outer limbs on the upper portion of the tree, if the bark looks like it might be a maple and you see some opposite branches out towards the ends of the limbs, it is a maple. It may help to keep a gallery of barks and leaves on your phone until you master it. Once you get good at it, you will usually be able to ID a maple from 20-40' away and even more. Not just bark and leaves, but the way branches attach to the tree (typical growth patterns). On mature sugar maples the bark will start to peal vertically, the older the tree the larger the pealed plates will be.
I spent a summer marking a bunch of sugar maples my first year, by the time I had marked about 100-150 or so, I no longer needed the markings and I actually removed them (I used plastic surveyors tape). I no longer needed that crutch.

[johnallin]

I went through the same scenario in 06 when I first started tapping. I tied a green tape - surveyor's tape - wrapped around the trees at eye height. It made it simple to see trees from any angle which, to me anyway, made more sense than a tag. I swear that some of that tape is still hanging on, although most of it burst apart as the tree grew.

I agree with Dave Klish. After the second year it became fairly simple. In the late fall, I started looking for opposing twigs and generally what leaves were laying around the base. This woods has mostly maple, a few oak, some remaining black cherry, a few sassafras, a handful of dead standing ash and locust. Once you get it narrowed down it becomes second nature. I too had pictures of bark in the gator to help, but it was more trouble than it was worth. The proof was in the spring when I'd start collecting....sure I hit some oak - but it didn't take long to figure out why those taps were dry.... Also after collecting the same "route" each year I find myself waking right up to some without even thinking and finding some new trees that had grown to tappable size.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

There are different grades of flagging tape, if you buy the better grade it will last much longer on the tree.

[DrTimPerkins]

I really don't see a huge issue with driving an aluminum nail into a mature maple tree.

No lynching here, but this too would not be allowed if you are organic certified. A nail is considered a wound, just like a spout. Don't shoot the messenger.

[DrTimPerkins]

There are different grades of flagging tape, if you buy the better grade it will last much longer on the tree.

Commonly referred to as "arctic flagging tape" http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/pr...&itemnum=58045

Should last at least 2-3 years. Don't tie it really tight or tree growth will snap it.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Commonly referred to as "arctic flagging tape" http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/pr...&itemnum=58045

Should last at least 2-3 years. Don't tie it really tight or tree growth will snap it.

Yes, I think this is exact same thing Lowes sells. You can buy the cheap grade or this grade, definitely get what you pay for.

[Trapper2]

Because I'm not always available to look at the trees, I put deer hunters thumbtacks that have reflective tap on them. We do the majority of our tapping after work in the night time. Seeing that the tack is only in the bark it basically stays in for ever. Just don't try following it to a deer stand.

[scottdevine]

3rd year tapping in southern CT, today i went out and marked a new bush with bright orange flimsy thin plastic ribbon. The property owner had it, and it worked perfectly. Like others have mentioned, take the time to recognize the branch patterns. I did this in my first year over several weeks, now it's easier to identify. I marked them today, because in case of severe cold or snow when i tap, i don't want to be toting a sack fumbling with equipment (drill, taps, rope, spile, bags, etc trying to figure out where the trees are.

[berkshires]

While I agree that it's not hard to identify maples once you get to know them, I still use tape. I only tap a small fraction of my trees, and I'm still working out which are the best and worst. So any tree I tap I give a number to, and then keep track of the sugar content from that tree. And to keep track of the trees, they need to be marked in some way. Writing on the bark with sharpie wears off very quickly. Of course some are obvious landmark trees, but others may have one in a stand that has better sugar content than the rest. Others may be terrible, and never get much over 1%. I need to be able to track that and be able to go back the next season and tap the good ones and skip the junk.

Make sense?

Gabe