Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience is maple producers throughout the commercial maple-producing regions of the U.S. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results and information from this project, including the updated guidelines for sustainable sap collection practices, have been disseminated to the project's target audience through a variety of mechanisms. The guidelines for sustainable sap collection practices developed in this project have been incorporated into the tapping guidelines in the forthcoming 3rd edition of the North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual, the primary English-language reference manual for maple producers. More than two dozen presentations have been made at maple producer and industry conferences throughout the maple-producing region, and have reached more than 1,000 stakeholders directly. Additionally, recorded versions of these seminars posted on the Proctor Maple Research Center (PMRC) and UVM Extension YouTube channels have collectively been viewed more than 6,000 times to date. Technical articles outlining the results of the project's research have been published in maple industry publications, and the data generated incorporated into several educational videos. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
IMPACT: This project developed data-based guidelines for tapping practices required to ensure that maple syrup production sustains the growth, health, and yields of maple trees, helping to maintain and increase the long-term economic and ecological sustainability of U.S. maple operations. The following was accomplished under the goals and supporting objectives of the project: Objective 1: Determine the relationships among tapping depth, sap yield, and sap sugar content under modern high-vacuum conditions. A large-scale, multi-year study was completed. Sixteen treatment blocks in the "Red Series" section of the UVM PMRC sugarbush were randomly assigned to one of 4 experimental tapping depth treatments. Each block consists of a mainline connected to an average of 80 trees, and is connected to a calibrated "releaser" equipped with a counter to track the number of times sap has filled and emptied. Trees were tapped, and sap releaser counts made during sap flow events. Sap sugar content was also measured periodically across the season and used together with releaser counts to calculate the total sap and syrup equivalent yield per block, and the mean for each taphole depth treatment. The experiment was repeated during the 2018, 2019, and 2020 production seasons. The results demonstrated that, as expected, yields increase with increasing taphole depth. However, this increase plateaued at a depth of 2.0", with little if any gain from deeper taphole depths. These results determined that maximum tapping depth should generally not exceed 2.0", as deeper holes will likely result in negligible increases in yield, while generating substantially larger internal wounds (compartmentalized wood). Objective 2: For larger trees capable of supporting two tapholes, determine the yields when using one or two tapholes. To evaluate the effect of the number of taps per tree on syrup yield, we conducted a multi-year experiment in which 20 trees were stratified by diameter into two groups: 1 tap or 2 taps (n = 10 per treatment). Trees were equipped with a chamber to collect sap under vacuum from either 1 or 2 taps, and sap volume was measured after each sap flow period. The experiment was repeated in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. The total sap yield for trees with 1 or 2 taps was summed and used to calculate the mean yield for each treatment. In 2019, trees with 2 taps averaged 18% more sap than trees with a single tap. However, in 2020 there was no difference in the yield from trees with 1 or 2 taps. These inconsistent and somewhat unexpected results likely reflect an interaction between the influences of tree diameter and high levels of vacuum on sapflow dynamics. At higher levels of vacuum, the reduced pressure can propagate within the tree. In trees with multiple taps, this can result in the sap from one taphole being "cannibalized" by the other, an effect which is more pronounced in trees with smaller diameters. Many of the trees in this study were of relatively small diameter, suggesting this experiment may not have been able to fully quantify the impact of adding a second taphole. In addition, we also observed a higher than expected level of variation in sap yield between trees within the same treatment, which likely further contributed to the inconsistent results observed. We suspect this is likely attributable to the use of red maples for this experiment, which have anecdotally been reported to sometimes produce highly variable yields. Objective 3: Update maple tapping guidelines to include modern high-yield sap collection methods and carbohydrate extraction concerns. These data were synthesized with existing data and used to generate updated guidelines for sustainable maple sap collection practices. These guidelines and recommended practices have been incorporated in the tapping guidelines recommended in the forthcoming 3rd edition of the North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual (the comprehensive technical resource for maple producers), and have been disseminated to maple producers throughout the maple-producing areas of the U.S. through technical articles, numerous presentations by PI's Perkins and van den Berg, and several professionally-produced educational videos by UVM PMRC.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Perkins, T.D., van den Berg, A.K., and Bosley, W.T. 2021. Effects of tapping depth on sap volume, sap sugar content, and syrup yield under high vacuum. The Maple Digest 60(1): 8-12.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Perkins, T.D., van den Berg, A.K., and Bosley, W.T. 2020. Sap sugar within, between seasons at UVM PMRC. The Maple News 19(10): 25.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Perkins, T.D. and van den Berg, A.K. 2020. Quick Tips to Achieve High Sap Yield. The Maple News 19(8): 8.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Perkins, T.D. and van den Berg, A.K. 2020. Taking care of the woods. Leader Evaporator 2021 Catalog.
- Type:
Book Chapters
Status:
Awaiting Publication
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Perkins, T.D., van den Berg, A.K., Boutin, J., Childs, S., Wilmot, T.W. Chapter 6: Sap Collection. In North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual., 3rd ed. Perkins, T.D., van den Berg, A.K., Heiligmann, R.B. and Koelling, M.R., Eds. (In press)
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Proctor Maple Research Center research update , Maple Syrup Producers Association of Connecticut Annual Conference, January 15, 2022.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Optimizing long-term yields and sustainability , New York Mid-Winder Maple Classic, January 8, 2022.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Proctor Maple Research Center research update , The University of Vermont Extension Vermont Maple Conference, December 10, 2021.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Proctor Maple Research Center research update , Lake Erie Maple Expo, Albion, PA, November 12, 2021.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Keys to maximizing yields and tree health in the long-term , Kentucky Maple School, November 6, 2021.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Keys to maximizing long-term yields , River Valleys (PA) Maple Syrup Producers Association, November 2, 2021.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Proctor Maple Research Center research update , Vermont Maple Sugarmakers Association Board Meeting, October 6, 2021.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Keys to maximizing long-term yields and Increasing yields with red maple , North American Maple Syrup Council Conference Series (online), May 25, 2021.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Tapping practices to optimize yields and sustainability , Dominion and Grimm Online Open House, April 28, 2021.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Tapping practices to optimize yields , The Ohio State University Maple Day (online), January 15, 2021.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Tapping practices to optimize yields and sustainability , The University of Vermont Extension Vermont Maple Conference, December 10, 2020.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Tapping practices to optimize yields , Laurel Fork Virginia webinar series, September 10, 2020.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Tapping practices to optimize yields and sustainability , University of Vermont Maple Extension webinar series, August 19, 2020.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Keys to high yield maple production , Ohio State University Maple Day, Middlefield, OH, January 25, 2020.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Keys to high yield maple production , Ohio State University Maple Day, Fredericksburg, OH, January 24, 2020.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Keys to high yield maple production , Ohio State University Maple Day, Fulton, OH, January 23, 2020.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Tapping practices to optimize sustainability and yields , The University of Vermont Extension Vermont Maple Conference, Brattleboro, VT, January 18, 2020.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
UVM PMRC Research Update , Addison County Maple Seminar, Middlebury, VT, January 11, 2020.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Tapping practices to optimize sustainability and yields , 2020 New York State Maple Producers Winter Conference, Syracuse, NY, January 4, 2020.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
UVM PMRC Research Update , St-Hyacinthe Regional Maple Producers Union, Ormford, Qu�bec, December 11, 2019.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
UVM PMRC Research Update , St-Hyacinthe Regional Maple Producers Union, Sutton, Qu�bec, December 11, 2019.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
UVM PMRC Research Update , Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association Summer Conference, Kincardine, Ontario, July 18, 2019.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Proctor Maple Research Center Research Update , Dominion and Grimm Open House, St. Albans, VT, April 27, 2019.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Impact of tapping on trees and sustainable tapping guidelines , Lapierre Equipment Open House, Swanton, VT, April 27, 2019.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Impact of tapping on trees and sustainable tapping guidelines , Lapierre Equipment Open House, Swanton, VT, April 26, 2019.
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