Thanks to Les for pulling this piece together. For us at OSU, this is especially timely as we are tapping the OSU-Mansfield woods on Monday, February 10. A faithful core will be in the woods helping, but we always have additional folks who want to learn and will be tapping for the first time. Take these steps to heart.
Tapping a maple tree – how hard can it be? Drill a hole, drive in a spout and hook up tubing or hang a bag/bucket. Not rocket science, right? No, it’s not rocket science, but it is also not a task to turn over to a novice. Tapping, of all the activities that lead to a maple season full of sap, is the single most crucial task of the year.
When you put together a tapping crew, that crew must be comprised of trained individuals. Each step in the tapping procedure needs to be thoroughly explained and rehearsed. Here are 10 steps to successful tapping:
- Observe the tree. Look for damaged areas in the trunk and the crown. Avoid tapping into areas below the injury. If it snows, I want to see tracks around encircling the tree. This indicates that the person tapping has studied the tree, identified last year’s taphole, and has taken the time to tap into conductive wood.
- Pay attention to the color of taphole shavings evacuated by the bit. White equals conductive wood and brown is non-conductive dead wood. Know the difference.
- Tap with a sharp drill bit that is designed for drilling trees not steel.
- Handle the tapping drill properly by holding with both hands to maintain complete control of the drill. Look down to ensure good footing, and do not try to stretch on your tip toes to gain excessive height as that will cause you to lose control.
- Find your new mark between 2-4 inches to the side and 6 or so inches above or below an old tap hole. Doing so will drastically increase the chances of hitting conductive wood.
- Drill straight in. No wobbles. 1.5 inches deep and certainly no more than 2 inches deep.
- Drive the spout with a proper tool. Ball-peen and framing hammers should be left in the toolbox. Choose a light tapping hammer made of plastic or wood.
- Seat the spout so that it is snug. Over-drive the spout and you will lose sap production. Under-drive and your taps may leak. You should hear a tone change in sound coming from the hammer when you have achieved the proper depth.
- If you have several workers who are new to tapping, purchasing a “Precision Tapper” makes tapping easy for beginners. At the end of a long day, even old pros might be reaching for a Precision tool.
- Remember when you tap, you only have one opportunity to get it right the first time.
Follow these 10 suggestions and you will be well on your way to making a half gallon of syrup per tap.
What is the law on tapping trees on the property line. I recently had my property surveyed,so there is no question of the line. My neighbor is an absent land owner and I don’t know how to contact them.
I don’t have any tips on how to get in touch with your absentee landowner neighbor, however, Ohio does recognize dual ownership interest for trees on a property boundary. Meaning, removing or otherwise altering said tree should only be done after consultation with the other landowner. If the main trunk is located completely on the other property, having branches or roots on your side of the fence does not constitute a shared tree – it’s theirs. On the contrary, if the surveyed line indicates the tree is yours though, it’s yours. On “in-betweeners”, I would play it safe until you can engage in some syrup diplomacy. I imagine a taste of maple syrup will give you the green light for future years.
Thank you. Sweet’n’ a deal has gotten me a couple good deals!