Ann Arbor Wants Residents to Stop Tapping Maple Trees for Syrup
When the temps start to go up in Michigan, residents in Ann Arbor start tapping maple trees in parks and along roads. Yes, people really tap into trees to extract the sap to make syrup. I had no idea this was not only something people did but apparently, it's something they've been doing for some time and it's really becoming a problem.
According to MLive, sap bags have appeared in recent days on trees on both public and private property in the city. Aside from the obvious damage it does to the trees, it's also illegal.
Robert Kellar, city spokesman:
It is illegal to tap any public tree, which would include street trees. When we find this equipment, staff will remove it. Tapping causes damage to these trees, which already face challenges, and leave them susceptible to insects and disease.
This is something the city has been dealing with for a long time so every year they feel the need to put out a reminder that the rules are still the same and it's still not tolerated.
If you have maple trees on your personal private property, you can tap into those as it's not illegal.
I had no idea people were so hard up for maple syrup that they actually go around doing this. I could imagine trying it for fun one time on your own property but I can't see sneaking around trying to do it illegally.
My neighbor makes his own syrup and while it is really good, I would rather just go to the store and pick up a bottle, seems much easier.