WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Temperatures are fairly good for maple sugaring this year; Highs in the 40s and lows below freezing create good conditions for sap flow. However, my notes tell me that I’m definitely getting less than prior years. The only thing I can come up with–andContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Looking at the weather forecast in central Ulster County and the high & low temps are looking like great maple sugaring weather (if it was February or March). The problem is that it’s November! Some people–believe it or not–haven’t been able to wait thatContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Well, it’s about 50 degrees outside in central Ulster County and I’m betting this sugar maple is thinking about running on this New Year’s Day. Last year, I tapped early in January, and probably could make syrup this first week in January since temperaturesContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? Sometimes the maple season comes to a halt because the day-time temperatures aren’t warm enough. Sometimes, it’s because the evening temperatures are too warm; Both conditions cause the sap to stop flowing. Sometimes the season stops due to a lack of energy on theContinue Reading
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST? My sapwood pile has noticeably shrunk with all this maple sap boiling, which makes me wonder how much wood my little evaporator eats to spit out some maple syrup. Well, so far it’s roughly 1/2 cord to 5 gallons of syrup. “Sapwood” consists ofContinue Reading