There are over 60 species of maple and several of them are sold as hard maple but USUALLY hard maple in the USA means Acer saccharum and it is also called rock maple, sugar maple (although 'sugar maple' is, as I understand it, also legitimately applied to several other types of maple including some red maples and some soft maples), and many other names. Native to North America, it is also very often called The healthiest forest contains a mix of species and provides a range of values including wildlife habitat.Hard maple open main page for all woods open page 2 for articlesĪcer saccharum of the family Aceraceae. Many woodlots may benefit from a proper thinning which can result in improved sap yields. Maintain forest health by following conservative tapping guidelines which ensures less than 10% of the trees sap volume is harvested.Īvoid rutting the forest floor and damaging roots and trees boles with vehicles and equipment.

Taps should be removed promptly at the end of the sap season and left un-plugged to permit proper healing.

The taphole should have a slight downward slope position considers ease of placing the sap bucket or slope of tubing.

Using a proper tapping bit ensures a clean taphole.

Tapholes should be no deeper than 2”– good practice to mark the proper depth on the tapping bit.

New tapholes should be placed to avoid old tapholes (minimum 2” to the side, 12” above or below).

Smaller taphole diameters are better for the tree and close rapidly in 1-2 years while still providing good sap yields tapping has evolved from crude axe slashes to smaller diameter tapholes and spiles made from improved materials health spiles 5/16” in diameter are commonly used.

Timing: freezing temperatures at night and above 2 degrees Celsius during the day trigger sap flows tapping too early in the season can lead to drying out of the taphole and reduced sap yields unless a properly installed tubing system is used tapping too late in the season could miss important sap runs tapping in deeply frozen wood has been shown to cause damage to the tree through splitting of the inner bark.

Trees with major injuries, broken tops, or signs of decay may be of low vigour and not worth tapping good sap only flows from unstained, white sapwood and is readily seen in the shavings which are produced when drilling the taphole.

Flagging tape is used to mark the tappable trees and can indicate the number of taps a tally of the taps can be made and even noted on a sketch map of the woodlot coloured chalk marks can also be used.Tree size can be checked using a length of string with the circumference marked on it for 12” diameter (mark at 37.7” on the string) and 18” diameter (mark at 56.5” on the string) or a tapping gauge.no tapping of trees under 12” diameter.With practice, as you spend more time working in your woodlot, identifying maples will become much easier.

Basswood – but has alternate branching, round leaf without lobes bark is soft enough that a lead pencil will easily penetrate itįor beginner producers, fall is the best time of year to identify and mark trees for tapping in the following spring since leaves are still present and buds have formed.White Ash – but has a compound leaf and deeply ridged bark with a diamond pattern.(hard maple) Similar to sugar maple simple leaf with distinct, shallow 3 lobe shape, smooth margins and “fuzzy” underside an uncommon component in area woodlots generally has the highest sap sweetness of any maple speciesĬlick here for more photos Most common cases of mistaken identity… Soft maple) Simple leaf 3-5 lobes doubly-toothed margin sides of end lobe nearly parallel to mid-rib notches at almost 90 degree angle and shallow often red leaf stalk commonly brilliant scarlet red in fall twigs same as silver maple but lack unpleasant odour when bruised young bark grey, becoming very dark with age forming scaly ridges seed drops by midsummer (soft maple) Simple leaf-5 lobes deep u-shaped notches sharp, doubly-toothed margin smooth, silvery underside-noticeable in wind Twigs often with dwarf shoots and plump reddish flower buds at the tips twigs unpleasant odour when bruised bark grey when young, becoming grayish-brown with ridges and loose at ends of plates found on more moist sites than sugar maple seed drops by mid-summer

Hard maple tree types