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Last November, Glenn Goodrich of Cabot Vt., held
a hands-on tubing installation seminar at Merck Forest in Rupert.
The following are bits gleaned from that day.
1. Health spout tapping guidelines*
8’’ diameter tree = 25’’ circumference = 1
tap 16" 50" 2 taps 28 88" 3 taps
*NOTE: Glenn stressed that these guidelines are for healthy bushes
that have been thinned!
2. Basal area / acre = # taps / acre.
3. Figure 70 7/16 taps / acre
85-90 19/64 taps/acre
4. First tap gives the most sap; 2nd tap 50% as much.
5. Tapping depth = 1 _"
6. 10 taps / lateral if using vacuum.
20 taps / lateral if using gravity.
7. Mainline sloped 3-4 %.
_" mainline will handle 450 taps.
8. Each line on an eye level equals 2%.
9. Use rigid tubing for laterals and drop-lines.
Drop-line length=30".
10. Use black water pipe for mainlines.
Can be painted white by putting a fuzzy glove over a latex glove,
dipping gloved hand into a bucket of white paint and walking up
the line.
11. Hang mainline on 9 ga. Galvanized wire.
Instead of looping wire around starting and ending trees, Glenn
suggests drilling a pilot hole and using a galvanized lag with
a hook end. He reasons that this will not girdle the tree and
can always be backed out when no longer needed.
12. Use a wire tension ratchet to tighten wire.
Can be backed off in the summer to ease tension.
13.For two tap trees use two separate drops and tee each
into lateral instead of ganging two drops together.
14. Be wary of quick connects- they can leak!
This is just a small sample of the information gleaned from Glenn
that day. Glenn gives tubing seminars regularly and I highly recommend
attending one. He’s an encyclopedia of sugaring information
and a stand-up comedian rolled into one.
Rick Kobik
