LAKE PLACID, N.Y.—Tappers this season should try pattern tapping and marking old holes with paint.

That was the advice from Adam Wild of the Cornell Maple Program, who led a discussion on tapping during the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association last week. 

Pattern tapping is recommended so sugarmakers avoid hitting old tapholes.

“The reason we use pattern tapping is it helps eliminate hitting non-conductive wood,” he said. 

Tap one inch to the left or right of old tap holes and at least 12 inches up and down the trunk.

“Pattern tapping is a systematic pattern as we shift around the tree,” he said.

Wild said sugarmakers should also consider using paint splotches to mark old tapholes, making tapping speedier and more efficient.

When sugarmakers can quickly see an old taphole, they'll be able to quickly find the proper spot to drill a new one. 

Organic sugarmakers should check certification rules about using paint.  

Wild also avised to put only one tap per tree in almost all circumstances.  

He said the sugarmaker may want to consider a second tap is the tree is large—at least 20 inches in diameter—and looks to have good growth.