The Heartbeat of a Tree
February 7 | By Irvine Naturalist Steve Mickletz
 What is sap? “Tree blood” and “tree food” are common answers from children who visit Irvine. Sap is indeed the fluid transported within a tree providing it with life sustaining nutrition. In fact, just as you can hear a heartbeat, if you listen carefully with a stethoscope you can hear the gurgling and cracking of sap flowing just under a tree’s bark.
For centuries (or maybe longer!) people have been harvesting sap from maple trees to make maple syrup. Why maple trees? The physiology of the trees has a lot to do with it.
Freezing nights and warm days are essential for sap flow to occur. When temperatures cool, ice crystals, like frost on meadow grasses, form within the sapwood of the maples. When the ice thaws trapped gasses are released causing a buildup of pressure.
A hole carefully drilled in the trunk of a maple will allow the pressure to escape and sap to flow out of the tree! This process does not hurt the tree when done responsibly. The sap can be collected with a few simple tools, like a spile (spigot) and a bucket with a lid. With time and hard work, 10 gallons of this sap can be transformed into 1 quart of pure maple syrup!
To learn more about Maple Sugaring, be sure to participate in a Maple Magic program at Irvine. It is a great way to have fun family time outdoors in the middle of winter!
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