Why are sugar maple and black maple preferred species for maple syrup production?
Both of sugar maple and black maple have an average sap sweetness of from 2-3 percent, which is sufficient for commercial production of syrup. Some reports suggest a lower average sap sweetness for red maple and sugar maple. Maple trees are tapped in the spring when soils tend to be quite saturated due to excess moisture. Red maple and silver maple sometimes grow on sites which are flooded in the spring and are quite difficult to access. More importantly, red maple and silver maple trees break bud earlier than sugar maple and black maple. Consequently, the length of the tapping season can be considerably less with these species. This can affect the economic viability of a maple operation. • Is the sugar maple resource unique to Eastern North America? Sugar maple only grows naturally in eastern North America. This tree species has adapted over thousands of years to the unique combination of geology, climate and soils found in this region. Sugar maple has been planted on a small scale in
Related Questions
- If a recipe also includes other sweeteners, such as brown sugar, corn syrup, molasses, maple syrup or others, can you substitute SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated for all of the sweeteners?
- Why are sugar maple and black maple preferred species for maple syrup production?
- How long does it take for sugar maple trees to reach a tapable size?
