![]() In addition to its syrup, the bigleaf maple has many things to offer us which we are still discovering. The website for the Oregon Maple Project is you can reach out to Eliza Nelson at with questions or for more information. Lastly, the Oregon Maple Project is a non-profit partner to the OSU project that is teaching basic sugaring setups and processing and has a sugaring collective of small producers that are learning together. If you’d like to learn more about bigleaf maple tapping, start by visiting the OSU team’s public website, you’ll also find a wealth of background information. You can reach out directly to Jones at with questions and advice.Īlso keep an eye out for public bigleaf maple educational events at Granges, Tree Schools, and other forestry and agricultural meetings. The OSU team has been investing in equipment and working with landowner partners and through public events to demonstrate how the equipment works so landowners with an interest in becoming commercial producers can make informed decisions about their investments. However, recent technological advances with reverse osmosis machines to remove water and vacuum tubing systems to collect sap have not made it economically viable to tap bigleaf. The reason for this is that bigleaf sap has less sugar than sugar maple so takes a lot more time and energy to make a finished product. However, warm days can also cause problematic bacteria to flourish so the OSU team is studying best practices for mitigating problems like bacteria.Īlthough some small hobby tapping and even some small commercial tapping has occurred in Oregon it has been rare. You need freezing nights and above-freezing days for the sap to run so there may be many chances to tap throughout the winter. In Oregon, given our temperate rain forest conditions, we can tap throughout the winter when the conditions are right. In the northeast the sugar maple trees can be frozen all winter so the tapping occurs at the end of winter. Maple syrup and other maple sap products are rapidly growing markets and the Pacific Northwest has a future role to play.īroadly speaking, tapping maple trees occurs in winter. The team has been awarded two consecutive grants from the Agricultural Marketing Service Acer Access and Development program. The flavor is similar but most tasters describe it as more complex, often with a preference for it over sugar maple.Įric Jones from the OSU College of Forestry has assembled an interdisciplinary team of researchers to help landowners enter into commercial bigleaf maple sap procurement and processing. What many people do not know is that just like its sugar maple cousin in the northeast that is the source of most real maple syrup on store shelves, bigleaf has sugary sap and makes a delicious syrup as well. ![]() You must have a ticket to attend, and tickets must be purchased online. Visit for more information and tickets.Īs most people with western farms and forestland know, bigleaf maple is an abundant, fast growing tree. $10/adult, $5/child, $20/family per vehicle. May 13, 2023, at the 4h Center in West Salem. Come experience the wonder of bigleaf maple sugaring! The festival will have kids’ activities, syrup boiling demonstrations, nature walks, food and live Americana acoustic music. It's the beginning of an exciting new and sustainable industry for Oregon! The bigleaf festival is a family friendly event where you can taste different bigleaf syrups, see setups for the hobbyist and the commercial producer, and talk with experts at mini-workshops. On Saturday May 13, 2023, Oregon State University is hosting Oregon’s first ever Bigleaf Maple Festival at the 4-H Center in West Salem! Bigleaf maple syrup and other bigleaf-sourced foods are on the rise with Oregon farmers, homesteaders and foresters starting to tap their trees and make products for the local marketplace. Oregon State University Bigleaf Maple Festival:Ĭome Try Bigleaf Maple Syrup & Learn How to Tap at The Bigleaf Maple Festival This May! Keep an eye out for upcoming tree-tapping events!
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