Sugaring season may start as early as late-January.  The primary trigger for good sap flow is warm days and freezing cold nights.  Either ask your local Cooperative Extension Agent or the Maple Syrup Team about the progress of the tapping season.  Starting early in the season is usually good for sap quality and quantity but can be very frustrating when continuing cold conditions leave you for days with little or no sap. 

Tree Selection--For the hobbyist, several types of maples can be tapped: sugar, black, red, silver or Norway.  Sugar and black maples are the best; however, red maples are also used to some extent commerically.  Select trees with large canopies with trunks greater than 31 inches in circumference (10 inches diameter).  Avoid trees that are not vigorous or that have large defects.  These trees will produce low sugar content sap and may be excessively stressed by tapping.

Tapping--Sugar producers use a 7/16 inch drill bit to tap trees.  The holes are usually bored to a depth of about 2 1/2 inches and at a slightly upward angle so that the tap drains well.  Care should be taken not to "round out" the hole.  Traditional guideline suggest that tap holes be six inches to the side or twenty four inches above or below unhealed tap holes.  Tap holes will be healed in 2 or 3 years.  Be cautious of clustering tap holes in subsequent seasons.  Traditional guidelines allow up to four taps in big trees; however, conservative tapping allows only 2 taps even on very large trees.  Producers currently follow both guideline.  Large trees with fewer taps tend to produce more sap per tap than when more taps are used, so the decision on which set of guidelines to follow is complicated.  Both traditional and conservative tapping guidelines are included in the table below.