I am trying to decide for or against clearing out all but the maple trees to make it easier to collect sap. I have maple,aspen. oak. ash, basswood and ironwood in my timber. I do maple syruping in spring and it would be easier and would also let the sun shine in to clear the snow out faster. Will it hurt or help the maples ? Do they need the other trees to help with stopping the wind? Do they need the others to hold the moisture? So much to figure out, dont want to hurt my maples through ignorance.Any help will be appreciated. Thanks Harold
Can you get sugar bush information form your state or an association of syrup producers in your state? Maple bushes do need thinning sometimes to increase crown size, thus increase output. But you have to do it so as not to open it up too much or damage your residual trees. And damage can be bark scraping, root damage or major limb breakage in the leave trees from felling other trees adjacent into them.
I know the Ontario and Quebec governments and Infor in New Brunswick have lots of literature and experts on it.
You may also be able to get an earlier run at lower temperatures with solar gain on a thinned maple stand.
Captain
Are you collecting sap with buckets or tubing? If you are on tubing than having snow in the sugar bush is better. It helps keep the ground from warming up to fast and keeps the sap cooler. Having a pure stand is not a good thing. Insects and diseases have nothing but maple to infect. In my sugar bush I release the crowns on the maples and take out short lived trees ( birches, poplar, aspen).
Your location isn't indicated in your profile but you mention ironwood. Whether that is Carpinus caroliniana (American Hornbeam), Ostrya virginiana (Eastern Hophornbeam) or some other local small tree that is referred to as ironwood I would say without hesitation that it can be thinned out. My experience with hophornbeam is that it can become very weedy very quickly but never really develops into a tree of any size when mixed in with sugar maple. As you stated, it's more of an annoyance when collecting sap or moving through the woods.
Beyond that it is a tough call. You want to promote the health and continued growth of the maple but not of other species...definitely a call that needs to be made at the site.
Clark
I would thin out trees gradually, releasing the crowns of the maples, but not by too much. Use good forestry practises. We cleared out part of our bush 25 years ago, beautiful now, and we have done other sections over the years. We have used the cut what we can use idea, firewood , lumber. it has suited us well. I see some tress that were left before,becoming nice sizes compared to untouched sections of our wood lot.
if your willing tell us where your located..it,ll help us help you.if your close to somebody they might be willing to stop over in your woods and show you what to cut.
YOU WROTE: I have maple,aspen. oak. ash, basswood and ironwood in my timber
if it was mine i,de cut the ironwood into firewood and i,de cut every tree.i,de also get rid of the aspen.next,i,de work on cutting the junk oak,ash and basswood..i,de think about thinning the junk maples or any maples that crowded another maple.
the maples you plan on tapping need room to grow and develop there crowns.
as has been already said.when,your cutting trees be careful about hitting the maples you plan on tapping.you don,t wanta break branches off them or knock bark off them.
plan ahead and make room for each tree to fall as you cut.i start with the smallest trees first and go from there.
delbert