You have trees with two taps per tree, each tap producing 10 gallons of sap, or 20 gallons of sap per tree. To get the number of trees, divide 1290 gallons of sap by 20 gallons of sap per tree. This comes to about 65 trees. The sugar content of sugar maple sap is higher than the sap of other maples. Sugar maple also produces syrup with the most pleasing flavor.
Sugar maple has the longest period of sap flow before buds develop.
The sapling stage is ideal for thinning maple trees as younger trees are vigorous and respond to thinning dramatically. Thus, if a stand is thinned at the sapling stage, the trees will reach tapping size at a young age and with wide, deep crowns for maximum sap production. About 30 feet x 30 feet or 50-60 mature trees per acre. Initially, a maple grower may start with a higher density of trees but will thin several times to achieve a final density of 50-60 trees per acre. The bottom 4-6 feet or tapping zone will be reduced in value by defect associated with tapping.