Tapping Basics and Supplies

When it’s time to tap your trees … you gotta have the right stuff. Send this box of goodies to yourself or to a friend waiting to wander the woods as winter retreats.

Tapping birch trees is a fun and educational spring outing for cooped-up kids of all ages.

Turning that sap into syrup is a time-consuming, but potentially rewarding activity.  For those with less free time, you can simply drink the refreshing and energizing sap – straight out of the tree!

We encourage you to give it a try! We have TAPPING SUPPLIES, INSTRUCTIONS, and EQUIPMENT ready for you!

3 products

Three types of Birch Syrup Tree Taps on a wooden surface
From $1.00
Birch Syrup Tree Taps
Traditional bucket spouts with hooks. They both work great for buckets or bags. The stainless spouts are easier to clean and more durable, but the nylon ones work just fine too! **Please note our stainless steel spouts are well loved but in good condition!
Buy now
Clear plastic heavy gauge 2 gallon sap bag hanging from a tree in a forest setting
$2.00
Heavy Gauge 2 Gallon Sap Bag
2-Gallon heavy-gauge zip style sap bags. These work well for gathering sap and keeping rain and snow out!
Tapping Drill Bit 7/16"on a wooden surface
$30.00
Tapping Bit 7/16"
While you can use any 7/16″ drill bit, these are sharp and pointed, specially designed to drill a clean hole and pull the wood out efficiently – essential for good sap flow.
Sold Out

We have a limited supply of small equipment in stock for backyard syrup making.

These items are pickup only in Talkeetna, Alaska.

contact us for more details

TAPPING A BIRCH TREE

As winter comes to a close and the temperatures warm up, you’ll start to see some greening buds on your birch trees. You should have your taps in, especially Willow, Talkeetna, and other areas with snow cover.  Once the buds burst, the sap will get cloudy and sap flow will diminish; meaning it’s time to quit! Until next year

Supplies Needed:

  • 7/16” drill bit
  • Drill
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Spouts
  • Hammer
  • Collection pail
  • Sap bags or pails

Filter paper or cloth

Picking the Right Tree

You can start tapping birch trees 8” in diameter or larger around Mid-April. Be sure your tree looks healthy and avoid any trees that have been exposed to pesticides. 

You can get a good idea if they are healthy but looking for ones with a good full crown. If there are lots of deadwood in the crown or fungus growth on the trunk, you could have a very old and less then healthy tree. If you tapped in and got brown wood instead of white you could be in a dead part of the tree. Look for an area of the tree to tap that looks full or prominent, like a vein. It will often have a healthy branch above it.

Gold drill bit, black hex key, and metal washer on a wooden surface

EXPERT’S TIP: 

Tapping the tree on the side with full sun exposure might help get them running sooner. But be careful, this will also cause the sap turn earlier.  I like to tap the east or north side of the tree to keep the sap out of the sun and fresher. I have learned to “read the trees” after 30 years; you may not get it right the first time!

EXPERT’S TIP: 

We highly recommend using a drill stop on the bit so you can be precise in your tapping depth. It’s not essential, especially if you are just tapping few trees. You can always mark the bit with a permanent marker or electrical tape. We recommend drilling no deeper than 1.5 inches.

Installing the Spout

When tapping the trees, use a 7/16” drill bit to correspond to the size of the spout used. Drill approx. 1 ½” into the tree at a very slight upward angle, quick in and out. South-facing will start running earlier, but north-facing will be better for preserving the sap. Make sure the wood you drill into is white, not brown. Use a stick to clear out any shavings. 

Before installing spouts, sterilize them in rubbing alcohol. Tap the spouts gently into the tree with a hammer. The spout needs to be tight enough to hold the weight of your container or sap bag full of sap, but not so tight as to split the wood around the hole.

Expect the sap to run from 14 to 21 days. On average each tree can yield you an average of ¾ to 1 gallon of sap per day. Beware, some trees are gushers!

Four people in winter clothing holding drills for tapping birch trees
Buy Tree Taps Buy Sap Bags Buy Drill Bit

Drink the sap!

It’s a spring tonic – rejuvenating and hydrating!  Sap is very perishable, but will keep in your refrigerator for several days, and in your freezer forever.

Check out our FAQ section below for tips and tricks from the Alaska Birch Syrup experts!

White plastic hook attached to a clear plastic sap bag with a brown background

EXPERT’S TIP: 

Use duct tape to reinforce the hole; keep the bag zipped closed and collect once a day – twice if you have a gusher!! No need to remove the bag  – just unzip one end, and swivel it on the spout into your collection pail. Zip it back up to keep out rain and debris.

PREPARING FOR THE NEXT SAP SEASON

With the sap running season over, it’s time to pull the spouts and clean the hole by spraying with water or alcohol. There is no need to plug the hole! Studies actually show it impedes the tree’s natural ability to heal itself.

In future years, choose another area of the tree to drill a new hole. Spiral successive holes up and around the tree at about 4” intervals.

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GOOD LUCK!!

Questions? Need supplies? Contact us at Kahiltna Birchworks 907-373-1309

We have curbside pick up at our facility near Palmer and Wasilla and a self-serve station at our Talkeetna “Birchworld” facility. Or email for details: ted@hfbirch.com

Wooden trailer loaded with large white plastic birch sap collection bins in a snowy forest.

Common Birch Sap Collecting Questions

Don’t worry, you did not do anything wrong! Trees do run at different times, depending on their exposure. If there is still lots of snow in your area that can also delay the sap. Tapping the side of the tree in full sun exposure might get them running sooner but won’t last as long before the sap starts to turn. I like to tap the east or north side of the tree to keep the sap out of the sun and fresher.

It takes 100+ gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup at 67% sugar.
  • Use clean plastic or poly containers for collecting the sap.
  • Don’t use anything that has held toxics in the past.
  • It should be able to keep out any rain or snow.
  • Check out our heavy gauge 2-gallon plastic sap bags.
  • The sap should be crystal clear and taste like slightly sweet water. It is refreshing and very good for you, so drink up!
  • If the sap from any tree is discolored, discard the sap and pull that spout.
  • If the sap starts to get cloudy or sour tasting, discard the sap, pull those spouts.

The sap has a sugar content of 0.8 – 1.3%. The sweetest sap comes in the first week of harvest, and will make the lightest, sweetest syrup. Use only early sap for drinking.

Sap typically runs for 14 to 21 days once you tap the tree. When the leaves on the trees start to appear, the sugar is gone from the sap and the season is over.

HOW TO MAKE BIRCH SYRUP

Click below to read our beginner's guide to making birch syrup on a small scale of 2-10 spouts.

LEARN THE BASICS OF SYRUP MAKING