|Maple sap collecting buckets are obsolete. Operators now create a web|
of tubing connected to a vacuum pump = cleaner and less labor.
|Tubing gravity-feeds into a stainless steel container. Contents periodically|
pumped into a tank on a truck to be transferred to a 'sugar shack' for
concentration via reverse osmosis and heat evaporator.
|Tap on too-small maple tree (Click on photos to enlarge)|
NOT IN NEWSPAPER ARTICLE: For readers deeply interested in maple tree tapping science and practice, the Proctor, Maple Research Center at the University of Vermont has many articles posted at this website: http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/.
One of the most controversial ideas is to turn maple tree tapping from a gathering to a farming process, akin to Christmas tree farming. Maple trees would be selected for high volume and high sugar content, then cloned to create genetically identical seedlings. The seedlings would be planted close together on easy-to-access land that can be fertilized, managed, etc. When trees are about ten years old the tops are cut off four feet from the ground and a vacuum-powered collector attached across the top of the stump. Not clear yet whether this will kill the tree, of if a new trunk will sprout from the roots. Even if the former, just pull out stumps and plant new trees. When compared to collecting from mature forest trees, estimates are that a maple tree 'plantation' could yield 20X-30X more sap per acre.