The stark Truth about Birch-tapping.

[JonathanD]

I've been tapping birch for 20 years plus now, but since 2004 when Ray Mears Bushcraft series was aired, I started to use an auger.

[video=youtube;pjlfu608L70]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjlfu608L70&feature=kp[/video]


Now I trusted Uncle Ray when he said it wouldn't harm the tree. But a forester and tree expert I know told me it would kill the tree as no amount of careful sealing of the wound could prevent bacteria attack.

Since 2008 I have logged the trees I tapped, and kept a careful watch over them until 2012 when my work in Tanzania took over. This year I revisited the trees of 2008 and found a 100% fatality...








The thing is, you can't stop the tree from leaking, not the first year, nor the second and it continues till it's dead. The plug leaks as the sap is forced through the actual fibre of the wood, not the edge seal, but through the plug material itself. This in turn attracts insects and bacteria in their droves. I've used many plug materials to stop this from natural to man made. Nothing works. You get this...



Rotten wood penetrating to the heart of the trunk, being fed upon by insects that are attracted to sap that still leaks from the wound years later.

Here's another...





The plug in this one was gone. Replaced by the fattest slug known to man.




In one of the trees, the plug had been forced out by the sap build up over the years.




It was easy to pull out now, and the hole and plug were covered by the slime of sap remains that had attracted bacteria and all kinds of primeval badness.







So be aware. The auger method kills trees. However much you try to plug the hole and even using sterilised watertight corking and birch wood cut from the same tree. Six years later it all has the same effect. Dead trees.

 

[Dave]

So what method were you using prior to 2004?

Send an email to Woodlore Jon, I'd be interested to hear their response.

 

[demographic]

Interesting stuff, thanks for posting it.

 

[Toddy]

That's kind of scary

I have to admit that the birch we tapped (alongside our side fence) seem to be okay, but we'll have a looksee tomorrow and see if we can find our plugs and any damage we've caused.
I'm pretty sure we didn't use an auger of anything like that size though JD; iirc our tubing was only about a cm in diameter.

Those trees are coming down later this year anyway since they're now over forty foot high and too blooming close to the houses, but I'd still rather be aware of what we might have done to the trees, albeit unawares.

Thank you for the heads up and the photos.

M

 

[Tengu]

What do they do in areas where they commonly tap birch?

Or are they areas where this popularly known as a `weed` tree are so common they dont worry about casualties?

 

[JonathanD]

Before I used the auger method, I just put the knife under the outer bark and made a matchstick sized drip stick to direct the sap into a container strung around the tree.

I used the auger method for three years, but after 2008 when I got the information, I didn't use it as much. In 2011 when I saw the tress were doing OK, I used it again in 2012. But now all those original trees are dead. I won't use this method ever again unless the trees are to be removed anyway, or as part of a conservation area where dead standing wood is needed.

 

[Leigh Robinson]

I used the same method as demonstrated by Ray Mears. I found the sap just leaked through the plug. I then did a little more research and found that people wax seal the end of the plug. I haven't tried this yet though.

 

[Zingmo]

How do they tap and seal commercially grown maples?

Z

 

[Tengu]

I think they cut an incision down the bark like rubber tappers do

 

[EmmaD]

We used sealed wood with wax and resin. It comes off after a couple of years. The same with tar. The sap forces it off from the inside and insects attack the outside. It does not last long. Champagne corks painted with tar performed best. But the trees still rotted from the inside.

 

[mountainm]

Interesting. Pity the same can't be said of elder and sycamore. They're very hard to kill when growing unwanted.

 

[Stew]

I must admit I've never understood the need for such a large bore size. I wonder if it will be the same result for smaller diameter drills though.

Good thread J. Well done at long term logging. Always good to get real facts.

 

[British Red]

Fascinating this. Here are my random thoughts

It doesn't need a deep hole - just to the cambium layer (as you know Jon).

The cambium layer is exposed whenever a branch is broken off or cut off.

I have sawn limbs off dozens (hundreds) of trees starting decades ago - none have died from their wounds.....

So one wanders what is different between drilling and cutting off an unwanted branch?

Great thread BTW

 

[Toddy]

That's a very good point. We only need to reach the cambium layer; the only reason folks go so deep is to support buckets and the like from spiles.
We rarely use spiles in this country, but we're still shown the boring techniques that they need.

Like JD pre the tv/videos we just lifted a bit of bark and put in a wee bit stick that directed the dripping down into a jug.
It looked terribly organised and hygienic doing it 'properly' with tubing and bottles and augers.

I haven't checked the birch trees outside yet, but I do know that there's no shortage of both fomes fomentaria or piptoporus betulina on birch trees around here; and that's on untapped trees, and there are thousands of those around here.

M

 

[cranmere]

Thanks for the info. I'd be interested to know Mears's comments too.

 

[cranmere]

The cambium layer is exposed whenever a branch is broken off or cut off.
I have sawn limbs off dozens (hundreds) of trees starting decades ago - none have died from their wounds.....
So one wanders what is different between drilling and cutting off an unwanted branch?
Great thread BTW

There is a natural healing mechanism for lost branches, sealing off a branch doesn't affect the main transport system of the tree. Even so, gardeners are warned not to prune some plants in spring because of the risk of the plant bleeding to death, also to protect a cut surface.

 

[Stew]

I seem to recall someone here insisting that drilling an 8" deep hole with a 1" auger wouldn't be harmful to the tree and was the best method as any others would be too slow.

 

[Toddy]

Copied this from Penn State college of Agricultural Sciences.

Tapping
Sugar producers use a 7/16 inch drill bit to tap trees. The holes are usually bored to a depth of about 2 1/2 inches and at a slightly upward angle so that the tap drains well. Care should be taken not to "round out" the hole. Traditional guideline suggest that tap holes be six inches to the side or twenty four inches above or below unhealed tap holes. Tap holes will be healed in 2 or 3 years. Be cautious of clustering tap holes in subsequent seasons. Traditional guidelines allow up to four taps in big trees; however, conservative tapping allows only 2 taps even on very large trees. Producers currently follow both guideline. Large trees with fewer taps tend to produce more sap per tap than when more taps are used, so the decision on which set of guidelines to follow is complicated. Both traditional and conservative tapping guidelines are included in the table below.

Traditional and conservative tapping guidelines for sugar
# of Taps Traditional Guidelines Tree Diameter Conservative Guidelines Tree Diameter
1 10-15 inches 12-18 inches
2 15-20 inches larger than 18 inches
3 20-25 inches NO
4 larger than 25 inches NO


After the hole is formed, a "spile" or "spout" is added. Many Types of spiles are available, if buckets are to be used for collection. In years past, hollowed elderberry stems were favored for tapping; however, these spiles will not usually fit tightly in the tap, may damage the tree or can even be a source of infection. Commercially available spiles are a much better alternative. These spiles should be cleaned in a 1 to 20 bleach to water solution and rinsed several times. Cleanliness is very important to tree health and sap quality. When deciding on spile type, the decision on what type of bucket to use is also important. Spiles are usually made to service a particular type of bucket. If everyday plastic buckets are used (such as used food-grade buckets often available for free at bakeries or restaurants), spiles with hooks may be a good alternative. If commercial buckets are used, spiles should be suited to the bucket. Spile should be tapped into the tap hole gently enought to avoid tree damage (putting a split in the trunk), but firmly enough to seat the spile. Remember that the spile will have to hold the weight of up to 2 gallons of sap in a good run. Check the tap and then attach the buckets to the tap or the tree.

Those spiles look like this
http://www.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_k...+Spouts+Bucket+Spiles+Taps+from+Quebec+Canada


Thing is though, the birch isn't a maple. We all know that birches run with water, and if you break off a sapling that's in wet ground it'll pump up water like a tap.

Maybe we need to accept that technology intended for maples just does not suit the easy flowing birch ?

M

 

[mountainm]

The other thing to note is jd's observations lack a control sample. Photos of trees that weren't tapped. If the Birch forest had any sign of Birch polypore then the chances are they will die off anyway. Not saying he's wrong, just that correlation is not always causation.

 

[British Red]

There is a natural healing mechanism for lost branches, sealing off a branch doesn't affect the main transport system of the tree. Even so, gardeners are warned not to prune some plants in spring because of the risk of the plant bleeding to death, also to protect a cut surface.

But tapping through to the cambium in one spot does not destroy the entire network of xylem and phloem any more than a broken or sawn branch does. I think Mary may be on to something with wondering why Sugar maples don't die.

I don't for a minute dispute what John and Emma found - but I'm interested in the underlying science