
- 802 394 7836
- info@merckforest.org
- Free • Open Daily • Year Round
- Join/Donate/Volunteer
- faq
- Weather at the VC
Our sugarbush* has approximately 3,000 taps with the capacity to scale up as we strike a balance between
In order to model “best practices” in sustainable land use, finding this balance among these elements is an important part of our work.
Sap is harvested with a two percent sugar content; boiling concentrates the liquid to a 67% sugar content, and forty gallons of sap are boiled down to one gallon of maple syrup. Our product is 100% certified organic by the Vermont Organic Farmers, LLC.’s, Organic Certification Program.
“Off Season” – May/November
Tapping Season – December/January
Trees twelve inches in diameter or greater may be tapped.
A hole is drilled at a slight upward angle +/- 2 inches deep.
A “spile” or tap is inserted into the hole and attached to a down-tube; the down-tube feeds into a conductor line. Gravity and a vacuum pull sap down through the conductor line to our “marshmallow”, a storage tank at the saphouse.
Sugaring Season – February/April
Nighttime temperatures plunge and daytime temps rise above freezing in Vermont’s late winter landscape, creating changes in hydraulic pressures within tree tissues. This causes the sap to move up & down from roots to branches.
In round-the-clock sessions, staff run the wood-fired evaporator to boil off excess water, to turn the sap into syrup.
Updates are sent directly to your inbox.
Merck Forest & Farmland Center is a 501(C3) non-profit organization. We are not affiliated with, nor do we receive support from Merck & Company, Inc., nor are we part of any government agency.
All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law and are greatly appreciated!
Get updates directly to your inbox.
We are not affiliated with, nor do we receive annual support from Merck & Co. Inc.
We are not part of any government agency. • All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law and are greatly appreciated!