2:00

Water Bars

By: uvmext

Access to a sugarbush is critical for installing and repairing sap collection equipment, tapping and managing crop trees and responding to the effects of natural disturbances. Quality access to the sugarbush relies and a road and trail system that...

0:47

Vacuum

By: uvmext

Sap flows out of trees due to the difference in pressure between the inside and outside of the tree. In the 1950s, maple researchers and producers found that adding vacuum pumps to tubing systems could increase this pressure differential and there...

1:14

USDA Numbers

By: uvmext

The USDA released the estimates for the 2019 Vermont maple crop. The numbers show that Vermont produced just over 2 million gallons of syrup in 2019. This represents a nearly 50% of all the syrup produced in the US and just under 7% increase from ...

0:51

Tubing

By: uvmext

Although sap is still collected by some maple producers in buckets or plastic bags, the majority of maple sap is currently collected using plastic spouts and a network of tubing lines. The standard tubing used for the lines that run from tree to t...

0:42

Traditional Collection Methods

By: uvmext

Traditional methods of sap collection have changed over time. Initially, Native Americans created gashes in the stem, and directed sap into wooden or bark vessels. Early spouts were created by hollowing out small twigs, which were inserted into ta...

1:35

Thrips

By: uvmext

Pear thrips is a species of insect that while native to Europe and Eurasia has been present in the United States for over 100 years. This insect is slender and brown as an adult and just over one mm long with delicately fringed wings. Thrips were ...

2:08

Tapping

By: uvmext

Winter is almost over and spring is almost here; it's time to make maple syrup. Each season sugar makers have to drill a new hole if they want to collect sap. The reason for this has to do with how trees respond to wounds. When a hole is drilled i...

0:41

The First Sugarmakers

By: uvmext

Who were the first sugar makers? Many believe native Americans were the first to collect sugar from maple trees in North America. In fact, it was probably squirrels. Squirrels have been observed collecting encrusted sugar from the end twigs they n...

0:47

Syrup is Complex

By: uvmext

Compared to the relatively simple composition of maple sap, maple syrup has over 130 different identified flavor and aroma compounds. The predominant classes of flavor compounds are phenolics, pyrazines, and carbonyl-based compounds. Typically, li...