Sugar makers and community members alike have noticed a large number of sugar maple seedlings this spring. These first year trees were the result of a large seed year in 2019. Sugar maples begin producing seed when they are about 40 years old or 8...
Diatomaceous Earth (DE) Filtering
Just as the sugars found in sap become concentrated during boiling, so too are the naturally occurring minerals found in sap. As the concentration of minerals increases in the sap, it approaches, then exceeds the point of saturation. When that hap...
As trees form, the size and shape of its stem and crown, will be impacted by living in a low light environment such as the forest's understory. So-called suppressed trees are able to capture just enough sun to survive. Sugar maples growing in the ...
All green plants, which includes trees, need sunlight to produce energy for survival. Some trees can satisfy their basic needs with less light than others. Sugar and red maples are two examples of such trees. They are both considered shade-toleran...
A modern maple operation relies on a tubing system with vacuum to maximize sap production. The innovation of plastic tubing originally came as a labor-saving device and not to increase sap yield from individual trees. As the materials used to prod...
A modern maple operation relies on a tubing system with vacuum to maximize sap production. The innovation of plastic tubing originally came as a labor-saving device and not to increase sap yield from individual trees. As the materials used to prod...
According to the 2019 USDA NASS maple syrup report approximately 90% of Vermont's total annual maple syrup production (about 1.8 million gallons) was sold into the bulk market. The remainder of the crop was sold either to retail or wholesale custo...
Maple sap, what's in it? Maple sap is a dilute solution of mainly water (95-99%) and sugar (1-5%), along with trace amounts of other substances, including: organic acids, free amino acids, protein, minerals, and phenolic compounds. Sap coming dire...
Why Does Sap Flow from Maple Trees? Throughout the maple region, there are several weeks of alternating freeze and thaw temperatures each spring. This weather provides the right conditions for sap flow in maple. Unlike most trees, maples have tiny...