Both ground and aerial systems can reduce labor and produce higher yields of cleaner maple sap. If the site and conditions allow, aerial or ground tubing systems may be used to collect and transport the sap to the storage facility.

Traditional maple tap systems are suited for areas with less than 100 trees and involve drilling a tree tap, tapping in a spile, and placing a bucket on the spile. In general, maple sap can be collected by utilizing either traditional or tubing tapping systems.

On average, it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup and the quality of the finished product depends largely on the sap collection and handling methods. Maple syrup is prepared from maple tree sap. In addition, the syrup produced must conform with the national maple syrup grades and classification standards. If considering setting up commercial production, remember to create a business plan and establish reasonable expectations of income and expenses well in advance. Learn more about making your own syrup during the Getting Started in Maple Syrup workshop. If you are just beginning with making maple syrup, note that fall is often the ideal time to start planning for the upcoming season and ensure all necessary equipment is on hand. Maple trees are tapped in early spring when daytime temperatures are above freezing. Sugar maple and black maple trees yield sap of similar quality, which is why they are often treated as one species. The traditional species used for maple production in PA is the sugar maple, as its sap contains higher sugar content than other maple varieties. The state ranks fifth to seventh in national production with 60,000 gallons per year and over $1.9 million average crop value.

Pennsylvania is an important maple syrup producing region. In the United States, maple syrup production is a rapidly growing sector, especially in the Northeast and northern Midwest. Discover expert tips for beginners in the industry. Find advice on using traditional buckets, as well as utilizing tubing systems with an artificial vacuum. On this page, access information on collecting maple sap and producing maple syrup. At an average water to sugar ratio of 40:1, this will yield 0.75–1.5 litres of pure maple syrup.While making maple syrup can be a time-consuming and labor-intensive process, many maple producers find it to be very rewarding. Amino acids in the sap give maple syrup its distinctive flavour, which differs from that of pure sugar.Ī single tap in one sugar maple tree can produce 30–60 litres of sap annually. Starch is converted to sucrose (sugar) and dissolves in sap. The trees store the carbohydrates produced by photosynthesis in the form of starch. This sugar is the product of the photosynthesis that occurred during the previous summer. The sap of sugar maples contains a higher concentration of sugar that the sap of other trees. This allows it to flow again during the next warm period. Incredibly, these pressures can range from –10 psi to 40 psi (–68 kpa to 275 kpa). As long as a pattern of freeze and thaw continues, the production of maple syrup goes on uninterrupted if it becomes too warm or too cold, however, production quickly drops. As temperatures rise in the spring, activity in the cells of a maple tree's cambium produces carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide, when released into the intercellular spaces in the cambium, pressurizes the 'chamber'. Osmotic pressure from the presence of sugar and other substances dissolved in the sap also contributes to this positive pressure, causing sap to flow out through a tap hole.ĭuring cooler periods when temperatures fall below freezing, the carbon dioxide cools and contracts. Negative pressure develops, drawing water into the tree from its roots and replenishing its sap.

Maple tree sap