Maple Tree Taps

[Buckeye Bill]

My uncle informed me yesterday that he is having a problem with a neighbor. He has been tapping trees in my uncle"s woods and doesn"t want to pay anything for the taps, although he is in the business of selling maple syrup. My uncle said he balked when he asked for 5 gallons of syrup so that he could donate it to the church for their pancake supper.

Since this woods is about three miles from the farm and my uncle is quite elderly, my brothers and I walked the woods this morning and counted 750 taps. So this is not a small woods.

My question is:

Do any of you lease your woods for this purpose and what might be the going rate.

Thank you in advance for any information before I visit him with my pizz elm club.

 

[Gary in da UP]

Bill, too bad your Unk's got that kind of neighbor . I think you should get 50 cents to a dollar per tap. I am waiting on a call back from a local producer and if thats not right I will re post. In any case a gallon of syrup should be right around $ 32.00 , so that should be more than fair , but I know I don't care much for tresspassers, or theives. I hope this helps and will try to get up to date info for you . gh

 

[Pete7]

A rule of thumb you can use with maple trees and syrup is: One tap equals one quart of syrup by the end of the season. So 750 taps equals 750 quarts or 187.5 gallons of syrup that this "neighbor" is making from those illegal taps.

Pete

 

[ScottyHOMeY]

With that many out, I assume he's run lines from the trees to a collection tank. Y'need to pull his taps. Do your best not to damage them when you pull them, so he's got no counterclaim. He's lowlife.

 

[bill mart]

thats insane, my neighbor taps 400 of his own trees and sometimes gets 100 gallons., to tap 750 trees that arent even yours is criminal. bill m.

 

[farmer boy]

It would suck to have that jacka$$ for a neighbour. Go over to the guy, tell him what you want for it and if he can't meet what you want start pulling the taps. If he's the type of guy that carries his gun with him then go directly to the cops or sheirff or whatever. Around here syrup sells for $40 a gallon. That's $7500 out of your uncles's bush

 

[Patsdeere]

Thankfully I don't have that neighbor as I just might be in jail and he would be 6ft under.

If he doesn't want to meet you some place in the middle then I would see about having him arrested for theft. More than likely that amount would be high enough for a grand theft charge. I would hate to have to go to this level, but when you start to screw my family (especially elderly members) I take it personally.

 

[Anonymous-0]

As a farmer was having his water melons stolen he put up a sign. Out of all these water melons in my patch, one has poison in it. The next morning the sign had been modified that the jokes on you now there is two. Letting the word out that you put poison in a few might get the word out and spoil his business. Of course no poision is involved, just rumors. That will not only settle a score, but put you ahead a few points. A neighbor like that is indeed no neighbor anyway.

 

[treeboy of indiana]

OK, its time to call the neighbor kids & their quadrunners.. turn em lose for a weekend, if the trees have never been taped, the real cost is the damage to the quality of the bole of the tree as a timber product..i personally had troble w/neighbors deer hunting on my tree farm, i spent all deer season chasing slob hunters off, the following year i gave written permisssion to about 10 hunters, they pretty much solved the problem. I hate to say this but, get a lawyer

treeboy

 

[Rootsy]

If your uncle did not give this fellow permission to tap those maples then this fellow is facing some serious legal problems. Not only did he trespass on your land he also damaged trees and he is stealing sap for profit.

I would be contacting the local sheriff's department ASAP. Do not touch the taps, lines, etc. Let the law look at it, collect the evidence and contact the fellow.

 

[Anonymous-0]

As Pete said above, you get about one quart per tap. I work in the state forests here in Connecticut and the going rate here is 50 cents per tap for those producers that tap state forest trees.
Find another producer in the area that is willing to purchase the taps and tell the freeloader he has 2 choices.... ante up or pull out.
Cal

 

[D17 man]

start collecting the sap everyday before he gets to it. im getiing 33 cents a gallon for sap right now

 

[onefarmer]

You need pictures! Lots and lots of pictures! Video would be good too. Pic and vid the trees with the taps and where the property line is. Prove the taps are on your property! Sugar season is short and you will want evidence after the season is over. Let them get away with it now and they will continue to run you over.