Abstract
The bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum, Pursh) is the largest maple of the Pacific Northwest. While it has generally been treated as a nuisance in timber harvesting operations, a small amount of research has been conducted on its sugaring ability in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. This research has yet to reach further south in the species' range. This study aims to help a California landowner understand which maple trees on his property produce the most maple sap, to gauge what environmental factors contribute to maple sap production, and to find greater implications for the production of maple sap in Northern California. Over six weeks of collection from February to March 2025, we tapped 24 bigleaf maple trees in Humboldt County, California, where we measured their sap yield. A Pearson correlation was used to assess the relationship between the amount of sap and temperature, tree characteristics, and site type. The only variable found to be significant (α = 0.05) was the difference between the average minimum and maximum temperature in the collection period (r = –0.91, p = 0.013). Neither DBH nor riparian influence was significantly correlated with daily sap yield. Our findings highlight temperature as the primary driver of sap flow, with lower and more stable temperatures correlating with higher sap production. While sap production in the southern part of the species' range is not suitable for large-scale commercial expansion, it may support small-scale, hobbyist operations.
Date
Spring 2025
Department
Forestry, Fire, & Rangeland Management
Concentration/Emphasis
Forestry
Advisor/Professor
Hunter Harrill
Citation Style
APA
Included in
Forest Biology Commons, Forest Management Commons, Other Forestry and Forest Sciences Commons, Other Plant Sciences Commons