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- [Instructor] Hello,
this is Mark Isselhardt,

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Maple Specialist with the
University of Vermont Extension.

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Winter is almost over and
spring is almost here.

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It's time to make maple syrup.

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Each season, sugar makers
have to drill a new hole

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if they want to collect sap.

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The reason for this has to do

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with how trees respond to wounds.

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When a hole is drilled
into the stem of a tree,

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the tree responds to that wound

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and produces a barrier inside

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to prevent large infections
from taking place.

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This process is called
compartmentalization.

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Sugar maples are particularly
good at making this barrier.

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It does take a little while,

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and that allows for sap to
be collected for a few weeks.

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But eventually, the tree
heals over the wound,

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both internally and externally,

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and will prevent large scale
infections from happening.

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The staining associated with
this response to the wound

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is much greater above
and below the taphole,

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versus side-to-side.

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If you've ever cut into a
piece of sugar maple wood

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that's been tapped,

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you've probably seen these
long narrow areas of staining.

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That stained wood will
not conduct sap anymore

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so sugar makers have to move new tapholes

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all the way around the stem
in order to find clean wood.

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After the sugaring season is over,

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the tree starts growing again

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and the tree actually grows new wood

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over where the old wood and
the wounding took place.

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Over time, a tree adds enough wood

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that you can tap directly
above or below old tapholes

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but it may take 20 years

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for that to happen.

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Good, healthy trees will
grow more wood faster.

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So it's a good idea for maple producers

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to carefully tend to their trees

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and make sure that tree
health is a priority.