Tapping A Maple Tree

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OBJECTIVE

Students will tap a maple tree with adult support

Students will be able to identify how many taps to place on a maple tree by measuring its circumference

Students will estimate when the sap will run based on weather temperatures

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

What food comes from trees?

How do you make maple syrup?

MATERIALS

PROCEDURE

Introduction:

Begin the lesson indoors so you can discuss the honorable harvest and its influence on how we will tap our trees. Read the principles of the honorable harvest on page 156 in Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Have students share their thoughts about each tenet. Tell the students that as we tap trees today let us think about the honorable harvest and how it applies to producing maple and eating syrup as we begin the process today. 

Outdoors, welcome students to the area where you will tap the maple trees.

Walk to the first maple tree and remind students about the 3Bs – branches, buds, and bark. 

Have students investigate the trunk of the tree. Can they find evidence from past years’ tapping? If so, there will be tapping “scars.”

Activity

The number of taps a tree can support is based on the diameter and circumference of the trunk. The trunk needs to have a diameter of at least 10 inches to be considered ready for tapping. For multiple taps, find the circumference of the tree and use the chart below to determine how many taps the tree can hold. Send students out to find this information using yardsticks and measuring tape. Students can also practice on other trees. It is a good idea to review this math vocabulary before measuring. Discuss why it would not be wise to tap a tree with too small of a circumference and tie into the honorable harvest.

Once you have determined the number of taps you can make, you are ready to find the spot to drill. Pay attention to the scars from past taps – it is important to vary the height of the taps instead of drilling in a circle, which can weaken the tree. Additionally, look for a spot that is flatter so the milk jug for sap collection can fit. Ask students to find a spot they think is suitable. 

Before drill, tie back into the honorable harvest. Before taking from this tree what can we give? Our appreciation? Our respect? A small gift like a neat rock or leaf from nearby? A hug? A compliment? A drink of water?

Drill into the tree on an upward angle until it hits the tape, 2-3 inches deep. Why? Gravity helps the sap run into the container. Clean any debris out of the hole, place the spile in, and have students tap it in with a rubber mallet. Listen for tap tap tonk to know when the spile is secure.

Take the milk jug and hang it on the spile in the hole carved near the spout. Secure with a bungee cord by weaving it through the jug’s handle and around the trunk or a branch. It is helpful to place information about tapping on the jug with the school name.

Wrap Up/Assessment: 

If time allows, taste the maple sap. It is tradition to drink the dripping sap right out of the tree! Alternatively, use store-bought maple water. There are a few brands, including one at Trader Joe’s.

Discuss with students which tenets from the Honorable Harvest were utilized today. How did we minimize harm when beginning to harvest sap? 

Conclude by setting up a schedule to check/collect sap if applicable. It is a good idea to check every 2 days, or based on the weather.  Remind students that the sap will run when the nights are freezing (below 32°F) and days are warm (above 32°F).

FOLLOW UP/ EXTENSIONS

Pancake Breakfast