Forest
Stewardship News Release
February
21 , 2005- For Immediate Release
Contact: Allyson
Muth , Phone: 814-863-0401 E-mail: abm173@psu.edu
It's Time to Make Maple Syrup
As spring approaches and the days grow longer and warmer, and the nights remain cold, the sap in the stored in the roots begins to flow upward into the trunk. In Pennsylvania, trees are tapped toward late February and early March. Maple sugar products are truly North American products. Native Americans were perhaps the first people to make sugar and syrup from the maple tree. Maple sugar often became a very important food source for many Native Americans. Early white settlers learned how to make maple sugar from the Indians and soon developed methods of their own.
For many woodlot owners today, the making of maple syrup in the early spring is an important part of their activities. For some, it has become a major cash crop from their woodlands. It is a unique crop in that it is often produced, processed, and sold entirely on the farm.
The Province of Quebec by far leads North America in maple syrup production. Pennsylvania generally ranks 6th or 7th in production of syrup. Other states producing syrup include Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Ohio, Wisconsin, Maine, and others where the proper maple trees grow and spring conditions are just right.
The two tree species most often tapped for maple sugar production are the sugar maple, and black maple. Sugar maple is far more common in Pennsylvania than is black maple. Tapping generally does little harm to the tree if correct guidelines are followed. Trees ten to 17 inches in diameter (at 4 1/2 feet above the ground) can have one tap. Trees 18 to 24 inches can have two taps. Trees greater than 25 inches in diameter can have three taps. Tap holes are made by boring a 7/16 inch diameter hole at a slight upward angle into the tree to a depth of two to 2-1/2 inches deep. A spout or spile is then gently tapped into the hole until it fits snugly. A stainless steel bucket, special plastic bag or a tubing system can be attached to collect the sap.
Eventually the sap is brought to the sugarhouse where an evaporator evaporates the water concentrating the sugar and turning the sap into the amber-colored syrup. Syrup has a concentration of 66% sugar solids and this occurs when the boiling sap is 7.5o F above the boiling point of water (varies by altitude and barometric pressure). The finished syrup is drained from the syrup pan at the end of the process. The syrup is filtered to remove "sugar sand" (mineral substances found in the sap that collect in the boiling process) and sealed in containers, complete sterile.
The amount of sap needed to make a gallon of syrup varies with the amount of sugar in the sap. Sugar content of sap varies from tree to tree, from less than 1% to rarely 10%. The normal is about 1.5% to 3%. Approximately 40 gallons of sap with a 2% sugar content is needed to produce one gallon of syrup. This time of year if you see steam rising from a sugarhouse you will know that syrup is being made. Producers will welcome you to their sugarhouse to watch them make this special product.
If you would like additional information on making maple visit the Pennsylvania Maple Syrup website at: http://maplesyrup.cas.psu.edu.
The Pennsylvania Forest Stewardship Program provides publications on a variety of topics related to woodland management for private landowners. For a list of free publications, call 1-800-235-WISE (toll-free), send e-mail to , or write to: Forest Stewardship Program, Forest Resources Extension, The Pennsylvania State University, 320 Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA 16802. The Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry and USDA Forest Service, in partnership with the Penn State's Forest Resources Extension, sponsor the Forest Stewardship Program in Pennsylvania.
# # #
