Any Maple Sugar Gurus out there? Clear-Cutting Question:

[ToMang07]

Ok, so I am looking to go a little "bigger" into Maple-Sugaring, I have made roughly 6 Quarts each year the last couple years (Dark Grade A Amber) and would like to at least quadruple that, and start selling a bit. (Previous was from 3 trees.)

Essentially I'm looking to make my own outside sap cooker, (Not a real sugar shack) and use the wood I cut as the fuel.

I own about 3 acres of mixed hard/soft wood, (Moderate aged, nothing super old, but hasn't been cut in at least 20 years) and I'm thinking about clear-cutting a bit for hunting/atv trails, as well as opening up space around some of the Maples. Nothing Crazy, just clearing out some dying trees, and opening it up a bit.

Just wondering if anyone thinks this would be a bad idea, and suggestions, etc. I have a good 8hp chipper, atv, and a big Diesel that I can haul most of what I need to do, I just need to get the saw(s) working and get a new belt for the chipper, lol!

Thanks for the replies!

 

[ATH]

Certainly opening up the 6-8" sugar will help them get to tapping size faster. The ones that are already large enough, will get larger crowns, and therefore produce more sugar. So, yes clearing around those will help increase your production.

Not knowing anything about your site quality, know that a real rough 'rule of tumb' for many hardwood forests of the NE US is that you can grow and perpetually harvest +/- 2 cords per acre per year in addition to logs taken for timber. So if you are only planning to use your wood for firewood (to evaporate sugar water), you can probably get by burning 6-10 cords per year and never run out.

How much syrup you can get will depend on the number and quality of your maple trees, but it sounds like you have a place to start very small scale. (3 acres is never going to be a big time production...).

On the chipper...if you want firewood, why do you want to chip it?

This publication may be a little more elementary than you need, but it is a good primer.

I do have a forestry background, and would be happy to give any other input... I am not in your area, but there are some thigns that are fairly universal.

 

[ToMang07]

Thanks for the reply. Basically, Just small branches, tiny trees, etc for the chipper. I generally build up 1 large bonfire per year, but can only get so big before I run out of space to put stuff, lol! I actually own 11 acres, but it's mostly fields. However I could tap about 50 acres behind me with my neighbor's permission... But I'll leave that up as a "growing opportunity." :msp_tongue:

I'd like to do it as "big" as possible over time.... I'm looking into how to cost-effictively make a boiler as it is. Not looking to do a full on sugar shack (for now, anyway) but I wouldn't rule it out. Maple Syrup is always in demand, and a hit. :msp_thumbup:

Looks like I have the Husky running (the soon as I get a new exhaust gasket and a new chain) so I'll probably start falling some at least while the ground is frozen but not covered in feet of snow. Once there's snow won't be able to drive it till summer because the fields will be too soft. It'll keep me busy anyway, and I love the workout!

 

[ATH]

If you are eyeing that 50 acres, I'd probably start with tubes now because that is where you want to be in the long-run...

 

[ToMang07]

If you are eyeing that 50 acres, I'd probably start with tubes now because that is where you want to be in the long-run...

I was actually thinking about it this year, anyway. I need to get some more gear, anyway... I left the taps in the trees too long last year and ruined a most of them.... so I need to buy more anyway. I need sap-storage more than anything, at this point.

 

[Mikemehak]

I was actually thinking about it this year, anyway. I need to get some more gear, anyway... I left the taps in the trees too long last year and ruined a most of them.... so I need to buy more anyway. I need sap-storage more than anything, at this point.

Sooner you boil off your sap the better. You don't want it to freeze, and dont want it getting too warm/full of bugs. There's a really good maple syrup forum that I used to frequent. I will post it later.

 

[pcfarmall]

Take a look at Mapletrader.com or the Ohio State Univ. maple site. All kinds of information to guide you.

 

[Dill]

The mapletrader will be your best guide. Its just heading into sugaring season so there will be a lot of post flying in fast and furious. Once the season is underway it really dies down since everyone is boiling. How did you hurt the taps by leaving them in too long?
There are some real experts on the trader, but your not going to be go wrong by thinning out non-maples. Just take it gradual and easy, you can sun scald trees if you cut too fast.

 

[ToMang07]

Sooner you boil off your sap the better. You don't want it to freeze, and dont want it getting too warm/full of bugs. There's a really good maple syrup forum that I used to frequent. I will post it later.

I've never really had issues freezing it, but I've never had it freeze solid, either. Generally what I do is "hollow" out a snowbank and store it in 5 gallon buckets. But again, looking to go bigger, gonna need a drum, anyway. :eek2:

The mapletrader will be your best guide. Its just heading into sugaring season so there will be a lot of post flying in fast and furious. Once the season is underway it really dies down since everyone is boiling. How did you hurt the taps by leaving them in too long?
There are some real experts on the trader, but your not going to be go wrong by thinning out non-maples. Just take it gradual and easy, you can sun scald trees if you cut too fast.

Never though about "scalding" trees before.. I'll definitely keep that in mind. :msp_thumbup: I will definitely check that site out. It would be pretty gradual work, anyway, probably only fall a couple at a time, cut, stack, clean up, repeat.

And I left the taps in almost a month too long... by the time I pulled them the tree was growing...and I had to bend them up to pull them out. Trashed most of the ones I had out. I still have a good few.... but I'm looking to switch over to lines, anyway, and use the 5 gallon buckets as "catch cans" instead of storage. :msp_thumbup:

 

[Dill]

The sun scald is an issue when a lot next door gets clear cut or a huge amount of trees are thinned out a bush. It would be pretty hard to mess up your trees with just you and a chainsaw. Any more light you get to the maple trees boosts sap production. And yes boil as soon as you can. Keeping sap cold is good to limit bacteria growth but boiling is better.

 

[pdqdl]

Regarding boiling down sap: Use a vacuum! The sap will concentrate much faster, and you will dramatically reduce your energy costs to boil it down. Furthermore, the boiling point will be reduced, so the probability of scorching your product with too much heat will be dramatically reduced.

Exactly how to apply vacuum to large quantities of boiling sap...I'll let you work that out. Be assured that it won't be a solution that you can get down at the local hardware store.

I visited a commercial sap-store in Maine last year. They used steam to heat the sap, so as to avoid burning it. Definitely a good way to control even heating.

 

[djones]

Not to worry about freezing the sap. The sap doesn't freeze, the water in the sap does. When you take out what is frozen you have pure sap left over to boil down into usable maple syrup. Thinning the trees around you maple bush will result in better maple trees with better production. The key is finding trees with a high sugar content. I have a lot of 2 to 2 1/2 % trees but I also have 4% trees that produce year after year. I save their seeds and plant new trees each year hoping to reproduce their quality. maybe my grandchildren will benefit from my labors.