? Market for red maple, beech and black gum in S. Central PA

[HousewrightVA]

I am tapping all reds in central VA. On buckets some trees will run well and others might as well be telephone poles. Put everything on vacuum and everything runs. If you have good slope 3/16 lines do well.

[chep]

A major factor that lots of people forget about in maple sap runs is length of daylight. Trees do not wake up just because the temps are right. (If there is a long stretch then they may), but they are genetically programmed to react to sun light. When the days get longer they begin to stretch/yawn and prepare for the hard work of nutrient/sugar transport to the new leaf sites. 
 I would say even with your southern location Mike, that your trees are not quite ready. I bet February is much more productive for you.

[foresterdj]

Just a thought on red maple, some have curled figure in the sapwood and make excellent rifle stocks. I know of at least one rifle manufacturer in PA who is always on the lookout for good red maple. Any harvest should try to sort for these trees (ones with curl or other unique grain pattern), may as well sort out and market for the best use.

[B.C.C. Lapp]

I cut any where from 30 to 100 red maple logs a day. Sort them?  Ain't realistic.

[Mbunten]

Another peculiar thing is some trees dont produce anything when they should and the others are drooling.  Then when nothing should happen, the dud is the only one drooling.  I dont get it.  

Mike, you just described sugaring to a T! We tap both sugar and reds.  I've actually tested individual trees and found a few reds with a higher sugar content than sugar maples.