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Thread: Tapping Cemetery Maples

  1. #11
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    Formaldehyde is readily dissolvable in water, but as said, unless the water table is high it is unlikely to rise into the rooting zone. Over time it would become very diluted if there were any water movement through the casket/body.

    In any case, although the risk is low, the optics of the situation are probably more of an issue. Most wouldn't have an issue with it, but you might have a few who would be very upset by it. Best to avoid if possible in my opinion.
    Dr. Tim Perkins
    UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
    http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
    https://mapleresearch.org
    Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu

  2. #12
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    My in-laws own 2 funeral homes and I have buried quite a few people. The regulations for Burial is the body must have a vault and some sort of casket. Now 6 feet is not extract. Sometimes it’s 5 feet sometimes is 7 feet depending on the grave digger. Now say you put the vault at 5 feet. The vault is 3 feet high. So that leaves the top of the vault 2 feet underground. Not a vaults are water sealed. And they do fill up with water I know from experience.
    2019:250 gallons
    2020:324 gallons
    2021:?

  3. #13
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    The regulations on caskets/vaults etc. are quite variable from place to place and have changed considerably over time. Hard to say exactly what might have been done fifty or even twenty years ago. Walk through an old cemetery and see how many depressions there are over (apparent) graves. No vaults there. On a hillside, the uphill side might be 6 ft (or 5 ft) down, but the downhill end might be only 1-2 ft down.
    Dr. Tim Perkins
    UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
    http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
    https://mapleresearch.org
    Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu

  4. #14
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    First granny kicks the bucket then she’s in a bucket. No thanks on that syrup.

    Spud

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by DrTimPerkins View Post
    The regulations on caskets/vaults etc. are quite variable from place to place and have changed considerably over time. Hard to say exactly what might have been done fifty or even twenty years ago. Walk through an old cemetery and see how many depressions there are over (apparent) graves. No vaults there. On a hillside, the uphill side might be 6 ft (or 5 ft) down, but the downhill end might be only 1-2 ft down.
    Very true. The older the grave the shallower the grave for the most part. Now days you can be put in a maple tree root bulb and planted. 
    Last edited by DrTimPerkins; 12-03-2020 at 03:04 PM.
    2019:250 gallons
    2020:324 gallons
    2021:?

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by buckeye gold View Post
    I'll join in the chorus....I don't think I would have any concern of contaminates, but I would fear some people may think it's disrespectful of their ancestors and families to work in a cemetery. I'd pass unless it was my only choice.
    I used to work mowing grass in a large cemetery in the summers. Many, many large sugar maples with a great network of roads weaving all through it...you could drive right up to the tree and gather sap all day long without even getting mud on your boots. What a great place it would be to tap trees and gather sap. That said, I can't imagine that it would be worth it for the city that owns the cemetery to give approval for it. Like others have said, many wouldn't mind and some might even think it was a neat thing to do, but some may not think it's appropriate.
    RC Maple

    14X14 sugarhouse - new for 2012
    RO Bucket - RB10 - New for 2019
    2x3 barrel evaporator with continuous flow pan
    55 taps - most on buckets
    This is next year!

  7. #17
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    Mar 2013
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    We used to tap a cemetery up until a few years ago. We mowed the grass there in the summer and the owners allowed us to tap the trees in the spring. We would set up a mainline, droplines each spring and take it all down after the season. We could get the whole thing up and running in a few hours. We have since stopped because we have added tons of new taps at our sugarhouse. That being said, those maples would produce a ton of sap! Our biggest issue there was transporting the sap which wasnt to bad, but we had a long run of mainline to get the sap out to the road and on a warm day the sap would heat up a lot in the line and unless you pumped daily the sap would spoil.
    West Sumner Sugar House
    West Sumner, ME
    500 +/- Taps - 2 x 8 CDL Venturi - 3 Shurflo Solar Systems - MES Dolly 300
    https://www.facebook.com/WestSumnerSugarHouse

  8. #18
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    Mar 2013
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    Thetford, VT
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    Most of our cemeteries around here are full of old tappers....people who were farmers and tapped trees in the spring when the farming was slower. They would be glad to know your teaching the kids about taping. I would not hesitate to ask and if it is for the kids then I am sure it would be a good chance to add on a few more lesson plans...the need to seek permission to use other's land and who is who in the cemetery.

    Our local High School has an excellent program in their Outdoor Science class. They have a beautiful little sugarhouse. One student home built an RO. They put a lot of the science into the process.

    It won't hurt to ask.

    Mike
    Tapping since 1985 (four generations back to early to mid 1900s). 200-250 taps on buckets and then tubing in the mid 90s. 2013- 275 taps w/sap puller 25 gal. 2014-295 taps w/sap puller 55 ga. (re-tapped to vacuum theory) 2015-330 taps full vac. 65 gal, 2016-400 taps 105 gal, 2017-400 taps 95 gal. 2018-additional 800' mainline and maybe 400 new taps for a total near 800 taps. 2x6 Leader WSE (last year on it) supported by a 250 gph RO.

  9. #19
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    Mar 2018
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    ME
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    I dunno if I would do it- no need to invite the spirits of the dead in your body through sap- better to get spirits in your body through whiskey!

  10. #20
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    Apr 2014
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    Wakefield,New Hampshire
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    I have had my eye on about 20 huge maple trees that surround a very old private cemetery for a couple of years now. The trees are on the outside of the granite wall that encloses the whole cemetery, But i still think it is a little iffy and perhaps wrong to try and tap them. I would not try and tap any trees inside but the ones on the outside sure tempt me to reach out and ask the property owner.
    6th season solo sugar maker in a young sugar bush of mostly red maples
    320 taps
    2x6 self built arch, Flat pans w/ dividers
    New 12x16 sugar house
    CDL hobby 250 RO

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