![]() Look for resources on Crop Tree Management to guide the selection of trees to cut and those to leave. If competition is high, thinning around the best trees will ensure they have enough light to continue to thrive. In many cases the state forestry agency can provide a public forester to do the assessment. Before taking action, visual cues to competition should be assessed by a forester who will measure stocking. If the maple trees produce seeds, but there are no seedlings, there is either too much shade or too many deer. If the canopy is closed, and some trees have rounded crowns while other crowns are flattened on two or more sides, there is likely too much competition. First, if the upper canopy, collectively the crowns of the tall trees, is closed and does not allow sunlight through, then there may be too much competition for light. There are also visual indications of too much competition for light. The appropriate stocking, that is the number of trees of a given size per acre, is a numeric index of competition for resources, specifically light. Maple producers need their trees to thrive, not just survive. Although sugar maple is tolerant of shade, it does not thrive in these conditions. Assess competition for light among trees. The tree on the left is winning in the contest for light, but the shorter tree is still having a negative impact.Ģ. The tree in the center of the picture is shorter than the tree to the left, and has a smaller crown. Some of the following actions also help maintain good crown health. Unfortunately, the causes of unhealthy crowns often can be difficult to change. In extreme cases, minimize or avoid tapping to allow trees to recover a healthy crown. Crown problems often result in less sugar production and lower yields the following sap season. Repeated injury to the crown can also reduce health because of reductions of energy reserves in the roots, as occurs when defoliation coincides with drought. Crown health may decline as a result of root problems, such as compaction from machinery. A symptom tells you a problem exists, but it doesn’t usually identify the problem. There will always be a couple trees in a sugarbush with poor crown health, but if several trees show these symptoms it is a sign that a problem exists. Symptoms of poor crown health may include dead branches in the upper part of the crown, poor leaf color during the growing season, unusually small leaves, or a transparent crown. Be alert to evidence of unhealthy crowns. The leafy part of the tree, the crown, is perhaps the most important part of the tree to monitor. Following are a few actions that maple producers can take to help keep their sugarbush healthy and productive.ġ. With these principles in mind, a reasonable goal for a sugarbush is to make sure that trees of good vigor and potential longevity have adequate sunlight, stress events are minimized, and the effects of crowding are controlled by the owner who selects which trees will remain. Because trees cannot move as they become crowded, some trees will die as the sugarbush matures. Third, as trees get larger they require more space. They also respond to stressors in their environment, and their vigor determines how well they respond. Biological organisms are born, grow and eventually senesce. Second, trees are biological organisms, similar in some respects to a tomato plant, a cow, or a human being. Sunlight feeds the leaves that make sugar, which of course is needed for high quality sap. First, managing the sugarbush to produce a specific product (in this case sap) is really about managing which plants receive sunlight. ![]() Three principles should guide the way a maple producer looks at a sugarbush. Foresters can help maple producers gain an in-depth understanding of these factors to achieve a healthy and productive sugarbush, but there are several steps a maple producer can take on their own. Woodlands include a complex mixture of natural processes and attributes such as soil type, elevation, tree species, types of wildlife, history of use, tree age and more. A sugarbush is a special type of woodland.
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