Maple Identification

This past spring I was way to busy with quite a few projects and wasn't on the ball with a post about maple syrup. So unfortunately we're well past maple syrup production this year. The good news is everything is green again. This makes identifying trees much easier. This is the time of year to identify sugar maples and mark them for harvest next spring.

For those that don't know, maple syrup is simply the sap of a sugar maple (black maples and a couple other varieties work as well) boiled down about 40/1. Next year around February I'll put up a post with more detailed directions on the process. Then in early march some video of the process itself.

For now it's important to find our sugar or black maples while they're easier to identify. To the untrained eye, most maples look the same, but only about half the varieties will yield a sugary enough sap to make syrup, and some can't be used at all. I live in New York, about 90 miles North of the city in Poughkeepsie. My area is fairly suburban although it is a city. Many of my streets are lined with maple trees. Too bad they're mostly Norway maples. These are a species imported in because they do well in an urban environment. They have a milky sap that is not good for syrup. The easiest way to identify them is by pulling a leaf off and squeezing the stem, you will see a milky substance. They have broader leaves (pictured left) than sugar maples and a smoother bark. (It is very difficult to tell the difference in the bark of young trees, black and sugar maple bark becomes scaly with age)

What I'm most likely to find in my area that I can use are black maples. Sugar maples are fairly common in New York, but are more prevalent north and east of me. The black maple has smaller leaves than its Norwegian cousin, and it's sap is clear. It should be noted that any maple with a clear sap can be tapped for syrup, but you may not yield as much for the work. I have heard that silver maples work fairly well, but have no experience with them. Look for scaly bark, (pictured right) and pull off a leaf. If the sap runs clear it's a good bet its what you're looking for. Selct trees at least 10 inches in diameter, with no evidence of dead limbs or rot. Make sure however you mark your tree, it's gonna last till spring. I used a wood screw and a bit of yellow plastic.