March 20, 2024 |
Photo – Sap collection near the rec center – Courtesy City of Rawlins
State and county agencies are collecting Box Elder sap to create maple syrup.
Blue buckets hang from Box Elder trees outside of the Rawlins Family Recreation Center. The buckets are collecting sap, which will be turned into maple syrup. Box Elders are in the maple family of trees.
University of Wyoming Carbon County Extension Educator Abby Perry said researchers from the Utah State University received a grant to collect sap from Box Elder and Norway Maple trees. Perry said the study will determine if alternative maple syrup production is commercially viable.
Wyoming has a few Norway Maple trees. The Cowboy State, however, does have plenty of Box Elders. Perry said maple syrup can come from many different trees in the Maple family, but it typically comes from Sugar Maples. Since Sugar Maple trees can’t grow in Wyoming, Perry said the Box Elders are being tapped to produce syrup.
Perry said Box Elder and Sugar Maple syrup are nearly indistinguishable from one another. The Carbon County extension educator said people seem to falsely believe that only Sugar Maples produce quality syrup.
The largest difference between Box Elder and Sugar Maples is the sugar content of their sap. Perry said syrup makers require much larger quantities of Box Elder sap to make syrup.
In mid-February, Perry tapped 11 Box Elder trees outside of the Rawlins Family Recreation Center. Over the past month, Perry said she collected several gallons of sap. The extension educator reminded listeners that only a small percentage of that sap will become syrup. Perry said the goal of the project is to determine if Box Elder syrup production can be turned into a profitable business.
The sap collecting season is ending. However, Perry is offering free taps and buckets so people can collect their own Box Elder sap. If you would like a free bucket and tap, call University of Wyoming Carbon County Extension Educator Abby Perry at 328-2642.
