Maple trees in pennsylvania how to#

However, a small amount of wood damage does occur in the tree. Tapping maple trees properly does not affect tree health. They also limit the number of taps they put in one tree according to the size of the tree, so that it will not be damaged. They wait until sugar maple trees are about 10 inches in diameter (20 to 40 years old) before they start tapping them. The sugar maple tree is the natural resource used to make maple syrup, and maple producers need to take good care of these trees. The sap is collected into a storage tank. Tubing runs from each tapped sugar maple tree, carrying the sap.Ĥ. Tubing is used to collect the dripping sap through the tap.ģ. A sugarmaker taps a sugar maple tree by drilling a small hole n the trunkĢ. The spout may connect to plastic pipes stretching through the woods, called tubing, or to a bucket to collect the dripping sap.ġ. They insert a small spout or spile to catch the sap that begins to collect in the hole. Maple producers drill a small hole into the trunk of the tree. Generally, the maple season lasts from mid-February to early April. In early spring each year, maple producers, also called 'sugarmakers,' throughout Pennsylvania head to their woods for the start of the maple syrup season. Students get a first-hand look at dripping sap from a tapped sugar maple tree Maple Sugaring Basics The annual tradition of making maple syrup has been a part of Pennsylvania's history for well over 200 years. As time passed, the method of making maple syrup improved, but the basic process remained the same. When the first Europeans came to North America, the American Indians taught them about making maple syrup. They used maple sugar to sweeten their food and added it to cold water for a sweet summer drink. The American Indians did not have a way to store the sticky liquid maple syrup very well, so they boiled the syrup a little longer to make maple sugar. They boiled it by filling a hollowed-out log with sap, then putting hot rocks into it. They collected the sap in containers made from birch Bark.

Maple trees in pennsylvania how to#

How It StartedĪmerican Indians first discovered how to make maple syrup many years ago. The sugar maple tree can grow to 100 feet tall and have a trunk diameter of 2 to 4 feet. Sugar maple leaves are 3' to 5' in diameter with five lobes and pointed teeth on the edges. This makes maple syrup a very special product we get from Pennsylvania forests.įigure 1: Sugar maple trees grow best in these areas of Pennsylvania What does a sugar maple look like? Sugar maple trees are unique to North America and grow naturally only in the north eastern United States and southeastern Canada. The sap from this tree is used to make pure maple syrup. There are many different kinds of trees in Pennsylvania's forests, but the sweetest tree in Pennsylvania is the sugar maple.