Tapping Maple Trees for High Sap Yield

[Music] there are many factors to successfully tapping a maple tree it is not enough to simply drill a hole and insert the spout drilling into stained or non conductive wood can reduce sabio by 75% this fact should make producers take care that each and every tap hole is as good as it can be selecting the correct spot to drill a tap hole is perhaps the most important step in the tapping process as you approach the tree make sure to look at as much of the tree as possible from the crown all the way to the base note any obvious defects or damage large wounds broken branches damage the trees base and clusters of old tap holes will all impact where the new hole should be drilled it is impossible to know for sure what is below the bark there are many guidelines about how far away a new hole should be drilled from an old hole these suggestions are loosely tied to the average length and width of a staining column rather than suggest a set distance it is recommended producers identify the previously year's tap hole and go as far away from that point as possible inexperienced people can make mistakes tapping into stained wood reduces season-long production take time to tap well this may limit the number of holes a person can drill in a day the result should lead to higher yields there's a great deal folk wisdom surrounding the practice of tapping trees examples include always tap on the south side of the tree always tap under a large branch or always over a large roof no compelling evidence exists to support these recommendations if followed year after year the result would be a larger wound due to taps being clustered in one area the basic tools needed for proper tapping are a drill a tapping bit a small tapping hammer or mallet most producers will use a cordless drill use models with drill speeds of around 2,000 rpms be sure to follow the drill manufacturer's recommendations for use maintenance and safety using a drill bit designed for maple tapping will produce the cleanest and most efficient hole dull bits or general-purpose bits will result in rough tap holes a poor vacuum seal and reduce sap production maple specific drill bits are different than standard wood or metal drill bits in a few key ways the angle of the tip is 90 degrees on tapping bits whereas the angle is closer to 120 or more on other bits the twist or aggressiveness of the drilling action is greater in tapping bits which allows for faster drilling the tapping process should be in 1 in and out motion drilling to a depth of between one and a half and two inches balances sap production and wounding achieving a consistent depth can be difficult without the use of a drill stop using a short piece of 5/16 inch tubing is an inexpensive way to set tapping depth sharing specific drill stops are commercially available it is important to get in a stable position and if possible use two hands when operating the drill this will reduce the chance of injury or producing a less than circular tap hole angling your tap hole used to be a tried-and-true practice that's not necessarily the case with vacuum tubing systems once the hole has been drilled it is time to seat the spout in the hole a small plastic mallet or hammer can reduce the risk of damaging the cambium layer listen to the sound of the mallet hitting the spout stop when the sound changes and you feel a bit of resistance driving the spout further reduces yield when the season is over the spouts must be removed so the tree can heal the best tool for pulling spouts is a spout puller the end of the maple season coincides with the beginning of the growing season below the bark is where a new layer of cells is forming take care not to damage this part of the tree when pulling spouts being knowledgeable about these issues and taking the time needed to only drill into clean wood will result in the highest yields and had the best chances of long-term sustainability [Music]

Channel: UVM Proctor Maple Research Center

Views: 60,317

Keywords: Tapping maple trees, maple sap, maple syrup, drilling maple trees, increasing sap yield, vermont maple sap, vermont maple syrup, UVM Extension maple

Id: 86WYX2QNk08

Length: 5min 14sec (314 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 07 2020