But the first recorded accounts of maple sap, syrup and sugar being enjoyed were written by André Thevet, who documented Jacques Cartier’s voyages, in 1557. We don't know when the native American Indians first discovered the sweet treasure hidden in the maple trees. The history of harvesting maple syrup goes back centuries. The Centuries-Old Practice of Harvesting Maple Syrup You can learn more about tapping various species of trees here. In Alaska, for example, where maple trees don't grow, they have a thriving Birch sap industry. So, if you don't have any maples but would still like to learn how to tap a tree, don't give up! Birch, alder, hickory, butternut, ironwood, sycamore, and various nut trees can be tapped to make syrup. There are also several other species of trees from which you can harvest sap and make syrup. The specific climate in which a maple tree grows is one of the biggest factors in producing adequate sap for harvesting maple syrup. The other maple trees are not generally used in commercially harvesting maple syrup because the sugar content is a bit lower. But this will vary between types of maple and the taste of the syrup may be slightly different as well. The maple syrup to sap ratio for sugar maples is 40 gallons of sap making 1 gallon of pure maple syrup. There are more than a hundred different species of maple trees worldwide, among them are sugar, black, red and silver maples. Some have asked exactly what trees make maple syrup? While we're focusing on sugar maple trees, it's also important to note that while the highest concentration of sugar is found in the sap of the sugar maple, maple syrup can be made from just about any species of maple tree.
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Other trees that can be tapped Can I Only Harvest Maple Syrup from Sugar Maple Trees? It can take around 40 years before a maple tree reaches the size where it can be safely tapped. Its bark turns a darker brown color as the tree matures and often will have wide indentations in the bark separated by narrow grooves between the plates running up and down the trunk. The sugar maple tree bark can be rather smooth when the tree is younger and can get more rough and shaggy as it ages.
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Sugar maple tree bark identification can be a bit more challenging. When they detach and fall from the tree, they tend to twirl as they descend. Sugar maples have winged seeds or samaras, which form in pairs of 2 seeds fused together, with wings hanging parallel to each other. Sugar maple tree leaves, as well as their twigs and branches, have a 'buddy' directly opposite them instead of being in a staggered pattern (see diagram).