The second week of the 2010 maple season has been a bit of disappointment. The second week of March is typically the one of the biggest production weeks of the season (with only a 4 week harvest season every week counts). The temperatures shot right up into the mid 50's and by Thursday it was 63F. On the bright side our vacuum pumps have been working flawlessly and we have been collecting a slow but steady amount of sap. What does a vacuum pump do, you ask? The pressure differential between inside the tree and the outside atmosphere is what causes sap to flow from the roots up the trunk to the limbs and branches. When it freezes at night the pressure in the tree builds and when it warms up during the day the sap begins to flow. By using vacuum (we pull 22-23" inches) we create an area of low pressure around the tap hole and the tree continues to send sap to that area, which is then pulled into the collection tank. Because it has not been below freezing for over a week, without vacuum we would not be collecting any sap. This is exactly what we have found on the 700 trees we do not have on vacuum. We are hoping the taps hang in there through this next warm spell (it is supposed to be in the 50's until Saturday) because next week looks like better sap weather. On the brighter side my bother and his family made their annual trip home to help out for the maple season. They live outside State College PA, about 2 1/2 hours from us. We were able to cut and split some firewood and he hauled sap from on Saturday. Sunday before his and my father's birthday dinner we put new brakes on the truck. It never fails as soon as sugar season starts, my truck needs some kind of repair. The most costly was a new transmission in the middle of the 2008 season.
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