AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK 134, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



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Figure 3. — Large-crowned maples, typical of roadside 

 trees. 



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 Figure U- — Trees in a crowded stand have small crowns 

 and small boles. This ^rove requires thinning before it 

 will be a profitable source of maple sap. 



equally well as a sap producer and as a source 

 of lumber — because the factors favoring the 

 growth of trees for the two purposes are not 

 compatible. 



Consult your State extension forester, farm 

 forester, and county agent and work with them 

 to develop a management plan for your sugar 

 grove. Aim for 160 tapholes per acre. 



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Figure 5. — Mixed stand of crowded trees. Some trees have 

 long boles and small crowns. They make good saw logs 

 but are poor sap producers. 



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 Figure 6. — An ideal spacing of maple trees, favoring the 

 growth of large crowns. 



Sap Yields 



The yield of sap in a sugar grove should be 

 expressed in terms of the number of tapholes 

 rather than the number of trees. The yield per 

 hole is independent of the number of holes per 



