Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
Q&A

How can I ascertain the proper harvesting/extraction period for birch syrup for a particular region?

+0
−0

My friends and I plan to go on a road trip, to tap and harvest some birch Tree sap/syrup, from a property up in Quesnel, BC. How do I know when is the right time to harvest?

Also; does the time to harvest birch syrup in Quesnel correspond to the time to harvest maple syrup?

History
Why does this post require moderator attention?
You might want to add some details to your flag.
Why should this post be closed?

This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/10422. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

0 comment threads

1 answer

+0
−0

Sap flow in trees is a result of sap pressure accumulated in the roots during a frost, which is then released when the temperature thaws during the day. Many tree species cannot be harvested because they do not develop high enough sap pressure to bleed (according to Venerable Trees, Inc.).

One farm in BC reports that birch sap is harvested just after maple:

Birch trees begin to run sap about the time the maple trees are finished. Before the buds swell up and burst into leaves – usually when the nights are still below freezing but the daytime temperatures are above freezing – end of February to the middle of March in BC or even into the first part of April, depending on the year.

This is consistent with the average min/max monthly temperatures for Quesnel, BC: Temperature graph for Quesnel, BC

Interestingly, Cornell University gives the same temperature conditions for maple trees as described above for birch, i.e. when day/night temperatures swing across the freezing point. I'd suppose birch trees just prefer a bit more warmth.

In particular, the University of Alaska Fairbanks says birch prefers a daytime temperature consistently above 50 °F. This occurs about mid-April in that region, but earlier for Quesnel as per the graph above.

History
Why does this post require moderator attention?
You might want to add some details to your flag.

This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/10424. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

0 comment threads

Sign up to answer this question »