Syrup: The Sweetest Forest Product

Pike Foresters met with Kevin Hart, President of the Indiana Maple Syrup Association (IMSA) and owner of Maplewood Farms in Union County, Indiana to learn more about maple syrup. The IMSA represents the Hoosier Maple Syrup industry. Maplewood Farms produces syrup from their 110 acre forest and sells locally and worldwide.

Forester: How much sap does one tree produce?
Kevin Hart: Typically, the larger the tree, the more sap it will produce. Each taphole in a tree will produce 12 to 24 gallons of sap per season. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup.

Forester: What time of year should you tap trees and collect sap?
Kevin Hart: Sap production requires freeze and thaw cycles every day or two to sustain sap flow. The Maple Harvest typically runs from late January through late March. Taps, or spiles, are removed each spring and replaced just prior to the next year’s sap run in a new location on the tree.

Forester: What is the minimum acreage and equipment one needs to begin making syrup?
Kevin Hart: Sugaring is something one can do with just a couple of trees in the backyard. Sap can be boiled in simple homemade evaporators or in an elaborate commercial rig.

Forester: Can someone manage their woods to produce both timber and maple syrup?
Kevin Hart: Timber management and maple syrup production go hand in hand. Good sugarbush management requires a timber management plan to maximize success. A well-managed Hoosier forest can produce both timber and maple syrup as well as many other forest products.

To learn more about IMSA, visit their website at www.indianamaplesyrup.org.
To order maple syrup and other maple products from Kevin’s farm, visit www.indymaple.com.