World Bird Sanctuary hosts a maple syrup cookdown!

 For the last few winters, I have tapped Sugar Maple trees at World Bird Sanctuary for their sap. I started tapping Sugar Maples in late January, in preparation for a maple syrup cookdown at World Bird Sanctuary on February 17^th.

The sap is the sugary fluid which flows from trees during the warm days of winter.  There are many trees in the maple family, including the Silver Maple, Red Maple and Box Elder – but the sweetest is the Sugar Maple.

 These two Sugar Maples show how the ascending sap oozes from small cracks that may have happened during winter months, and from holes made by woodpeckers and insects.  This is why the bark is so dark on the left tree.  It is wet with sap.

 To tap a Sugar Maple, I drill a 3/4 inch deep hole about 3 feet off the ground at an upward 45 degree angle.  This does not harm the tree.

 I insert maple taps that I bough online into the holes.  These can be bought online with other supplies for sugaring.  The tap is pushed in until it plugs the hole.  After the 2 or so weeks of tapping I take the tap out of the tree and the tree heals itself.

 After inserting the maple tap I hang a can to catch the sap as it drips out.  On a good day we may get a gallon a day from one tap!

 As stated above, trees naturally leak some sap, and natural crevices in the maple tree allow the sap to puddle.  This is most likely a popular tree with the woodland creatures!

 Covers are installed above the cans to keep out rain and snow.

It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of pure maple syrup.  We are off to a great start collecting sap and will have a public maple syrup cookdown on February 17^th, starting at 10am.  Please join us!

Submitted by Joe Hoffmann, Sanctuary Manager

Maple Tapping at World Bird Sanctuary

Spring is near!  

In the morning we can hear songbirds declaring winter is over.  The days are warm and we still have freezing temperatures at night.  The perfect weather for tapping Maple trees for sap.

The forest at World Bird Sanctuary is made up of mostly oak and hickory trees.  There are a few Sugar Maple trees around the site and the sap is oozing out of them.  I have tapped Maple trees since I was 12 years old and I thought it would be nice to try it at the Sanctuary.  Missouri only has about a month for sugaring – mid-February to early March.  When the trees start to bud the sugaring season is over.

 Roger Holloway, Director of Facilities, and Joe Hoffmann, Sanctuary Manager tapping a sugar maple

The taps are knocked into a small hole in the tree trunk, drilled about 4ft high.  If the tree is thick enough to hug you can put 2 taps into it.  At World Bird Sanctuary we have tapped six trees and we will be collecting the sap all this week.

 Sap runs into the collecting bucket

We will be doing a Maple syrup cook-down demonstration at World Bird Sanctuary on Sunday February 27^th between 12pm and 1pm.  You are welcome to come and join us.  You will be able to see the Maple sap being cooked down to Maple syrup, and see the trees that have been tapped to collect the Maple sap.  However, due to food health regulations, we will not be offering maple syrup for tasting or for sale.  We hope that you can join us and learn how to make your very own maple syrup!

Submitted by Joe Hoffmann, Sanctuary Manager