Over spring break I stayed with a friend in southern Vermont where I got to experience the true culture of sugaring in Vermont. Luckily, I was there for the first boil of the season and got to hike around the woods where all the trees were tapped. Those woods were the new phenology spot I chose to compare.
These woods have been tapped since 1972 and are very open woods, not very dense. It’s comprised of mostly sugar maples with he occasional white ash and young beeches. While walking through the woods you could see some trees that used to be tapped but are now dying because of tapping as well as other blown over trees from past storms. In comparison to my phenology spot in Burlington there are no coniferous trees and this area is close to a monoculture which makes sense as this area is used for tapping trees. While walking we saw a couple crows flying overhead and heard some crow calls from a distance. My friend said there is also commonly chickadees and sparrows in this area. The woody trees in this area are still bare, but sap is now flowing since it has begun to get warmer.
