SAP COLLECTING

Maple sap flows when the tree is dormant, but the air temperature around it fluctuates above and below the freezing point.  In Western New York this traditionally means late February and March.  This temperature change is essential since it draws water from the trees’ roots through the tree making the sap flow easier.

Selecting the proper trees to tap and inserting the correct number of taps is vital.  The current recommendations for tapping are one tap for trees at least 12 inches in diameter and two taps for trees greater than 18 inches in diameter. This more conservative tapping guideline will not produce as much sap per tree each year in the short-term, but the trees will be healthier and more productive in the long-term.

After selecting the trees the maple producers next consideration is to not injure the tree beyond its ability to heal itself, because if properly done, maple trees can produce sap for decades.

You can learn how maple trees are tapped to get their sap
So, to collect the sap safely, maple producers use a specialized bit to drill a hole almost a half inch wide and three inches deep into the tree at a spot about four-and-a-half feet above the ground.  These holes are drilled at an upward angle of about 10 degrees, which allows gravity to help drain the sap from the trees.

A spile, similar to spigot, is then gently inserted into the tree by hand and seated with a mallet or hammer.  Spiles have three important functions.  First, they allow for the flow of sap into the sap collection system. Second, they support the sap collection system whether it is a bucket or plastic tubing. Third, they provide a seal against the spread of microorganisms into the tree while sap is being collected.

Spiles remain in the tree until the sap season is completed. This occurs when the sap begins to lose its sugar content, takes on an off-flavor, or sap flow ceases from the tree.

Buckets are the traditional way maple producers collected  sap
Traditionally the sap drained into covered buckets hanging from each spile, but beginning in the 1950s, plastic tubing became relatively inexpensive and connecting each tree to a central collection system provided a less labor-intensive and more cost-effective means to collect sap.  In the 1960s, maple producers began using vacuum pumps with plastic tubing systems. Sap is often stored in tanks that often hold the equivalent of two days of good sap flow, or about two to three gallons per tap.