Sap Processing
Page 3
Wood is the traditional fuel for maple syrup production. One advantage of wood is that it is readily available because of sugar bush management activities like tree thinning and diseased tree removal.
Wood also creates an atmosphere that many producers feel is part of the perfect overall experience. However, most wood-fired evaporators are not as efficient as those using oil, gas, or other types of fuel.
One full cord of wood is required to produce approximately 25 gallons of syrup (and boil off about 1,000 gallons of water). A cord of wood is 4 feet wide, 4 feet tall, and 8 feet long - or 128 cubic feet.
Since the 1950s, oil has increasingly been used as a fuel source for sugar house evaporators. Because wood needs to be cut and collected, and because wood fires need constant maintenance, oil heat is less labor-intensive than wood heat.
Oil also provides a more constant, uniform heat source than wood fires, and oil heat can be quickly shut down if adjustments to sap flow are necessary or if safety concerns arise.
However, oil fuel does not allow for the use of wood from the sugar bush, and requires expensive and complicated equipment
