How, When and Why of Forest Farming

Unit 5: Forest Farming Maple Sugar.

Objectives: Unit 5 takes you on a tour through SugarBush Hollow, Chuck Winship's maple syrup operation. By the end of the unit, you will:

have been introduced to basic components of sugar bush management, such as management for multiple objectives and "the rule of 86"
be able to roughly calculate expected revenue from a sugar bush
be familiar with the tubing collection system, its layout, and maintenance
recognize some of the equipment used in the processing of maple syrup
be able to identify some of the key aspects of marketing, such as identifying your market, packaging the product, and advertising
recognize the benefits of "sweet trees"

Watch the Maple Videos (requires RealPlayer):

Videos in the unit:

Required reading:

Selections from North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual - Ohioline Bulletin #856
Chapter 4 - Planning a Maple Syrup Operation
Chapter 5 - Managing Maple Trees for Sap Production
Chapter 6 - Maple Sap Production- Tapping, Collection, and Storage
Chapter 7 - Maple Syrup Production
Chapter 10 - Marketing Maple Syrup
Anyone seriously considering starting up a maple syrup operation should also read chapters 8, 11, and appendix 1. Anyone interested in the chemistry of maple syrup should read appendix 2.

Sugar Bush Managment - Powerpoint file

Links:

Cornell Sugar Maple Research and Extension Program - Links to everything maple at Cornell

Self Assement:

19 questions

Matching excercise

Unit 1
Introduction

Unit 2
Site Design

Unit 3
Ginseng and Goldenseal

Unit 4
Mushrooms

Unit 6
Marketing