A hollow spout or spile is then gently tapped into the hole to fit snugly.Ĭommercial maple producers collect sap in stainless steel buckets or weave a web of plastic tubing to connect trees and move sap to a common collection point. Tap holes are made by boring a 5/16 inch diameter hole at a slight upward angle into the tree to a depth of 1.5 to 2 inches. Trees larger than 18 inches can have two. Trees 10 to 18 inches in diameter at 4.5 feet above the ground receive one tap.
Tapping done properly generally does little harm to the tree, Hansen pointed out. "Other maples such as black and red also yield sweet sap, but on average not as sweet as that flowing from sugar maple." "Sugar maple is the species of choice for tapping to make maple sugar," Hansen said. Other leading maple states include Connecticut, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Ohio, Wisconsin, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, West Virginia, Indiana, Iowa and Virginia. However, Pennsylvania is a major producer - ranked seventh in the United States in 2009. Quebec province leads North America in maple-syrup production, and the state of Vermont has successfully built an association with maple products. Among the state's diverse farm products, it is one of the few to be produced, processed and often sold entirely on the farm." "Many woodlot owners today look forward to the maple season as an important part of their family heritage," Hansen said. However, syrup is the most common, best known and considered by many the ultimate natural product. Today, the maple industry produces a wide-range of quality products, Hansen noted. As imported sugar became increasingly available, the maple industry switched to syrup production. Early Europeans likely appreciated this source of sugar, and, with the advantage of iron pots, they soon developed this seasonal industry and converted sap into sugar cakes or blocks, which were easier to store."īefore tropical sugar sources were easily accessible, maple sugar was the premier sweetener. "We speculate they used hot stones and bark vessels to 'boil' sap to concentrate the sugars. "Maple sugar products are truly North American - native Americans were the first people to make maple sugar," he said. Mid-February to early March normally heralds the arrival of the "right" conditions, and the season runs until early April most years. When spring conditions are right, sap in sugar maple trees begins to flow, and sugars made with last summer's sun move from their storage sites into the tree's trunk, according to Bob Hansen, Penn State Cooperative Extension forest resources educator based in Tioga County. As winter loses its grip on Pennsylvania, warmer days followed by cold nights signal the beginning of maple syrup season.
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