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12 Surprising Trees You Can Tap for Syrup

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Tapping trees for sweet edible syrup is an amazing skill and knowledge set for emergency preparedness, allowing you to harvest a powerful, nutrient-rich (and delicious!) ingredient from the trees around you.

Some believe that the ubiquitous sugar maple – the most common tree for tapping – is the only reliable source of edible sap, and that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Here are some surprising trees you can tap for syrup out in the wild.

12 Trees That Are Secretly Syrup Goldmines

Forget the most common maple trees. Let’s take a look at syrup trees you can find across the US, from the lesser-known maples to nut trees and beyond.

Note: Most trees are tapped in late winter to early spring during the “freeze-thaw cycle,” when daytime temperatures climb above freezing and nighttime temperatures drop below freezing, creating pressure differences that drive sap flow.

The “time of year to tap” information below should therefore be considered a general guide.

Exact dates depend on your local climate – whether you’re in the Midwest, Northeast, or elsewhere, watch for that critical freeze-thaw pattern.

1. Rocky Mountain Maple (Acer glabrum)

Rocky Mountain Maple (Acer glabrum)

This maple variety has been tapped by the Plateau Native American tribes for centuries.

The rocky mountain maple can be found growing in wetlands and canyons and on mountain slopes across the western US. The rocky mountain maple is relatively short with three-lobed dark green leaves.

Rocky Mountain maples are tapped for syrup in the same style as other maple species, by drilling a 2 to 3-inch hole into the trunk and attaching a metal or plastic tap with tubing and a food-grade bucket for collection.

There are a few other ways you can approach maple tapping and tools you can use, but this is the most common.

Growing Range: It is distributed across the Rocky Mountain ranges, from New Mexico north to Canada.

Time of Year to Tap: Late winter to early spring

2. Black Maple (Acer nigrum)

Like the sugar maple, the black maple produces surprisingly high-quality sap, with a rich robust flavor. It is one of the best maples for syrup-making.

It can also produce up to 25 gallons of syrup per tree during tapping season and is tapped in the same way as other maple trees.

Black maple trees also have three lobes, though they grow up to 80 feet tall. They are typically found growing in moist soil, often in lowlands and river bottoms.

Growing Range: It is largely found inland in the northern and central US states, but can be found as far south as Tennessee.

Time of Year to Tap: Late winter to early spring

3. Boxelder (Acer negundo)

While it is considered a lesser syrup source, as its sap is not as sweet as other maple saps, the boxelder maple is well worth considering if you don’t have access to more desirable maple species.

It is also one of the most widespread maple species, so it is easier to find in the wild than sugar maple, red maple, etc.

Boxelder is a medium-sized maple with three-lobed light green leaves that resemble poison ivy leaves. It can be found growing near riverbanks, streams, and other moist areas.

These trees are tapped like other maples, using a drill, tap, and collection method.

Growing Range: Widely distributed across the US, though not found in Alaska or Hawaii.

Time of Year to Tap: Late winter to early spring

4. Pecan (Carya illinoinensis)

Pecan (Carya illinoinensis)

That’s right, pecan trees produce more than just edible nuts. The sap you get from pecan trees contains significantly less sugar than maple sap.

Pecan syrup has a rich, nutty flavor. It is an excellent substitute for maple trees for those who live in warm southern climates.

Tapping pecan trees requires the same process as maples, with a drilling point to withdraw the sap, and tools for either siphoning the sap to a tank or collecting it in a food-grade bucket or other container.

Pecan trees are very large, growing up to 130 feet tall. They are most often found wild in valleys, river bottoms, floodplains, and other moist areas. The pecan has a large symmetrical crown with large, wide-sweeping limbs.

Growing Range: Predominantly in the southern US. Most wild trees are found in Texas, Georgia, and Alabama.

Time of Year to Tap: Late winter to early spring

5. Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

This is one of my favorite trees for homesteading and foraging, so finding out it can also be tapped was an incredible discovery. What can’t the black walnut do?

Black walnut sap produces one of the more complex syrups. Its flavor is sometimes compared to butterscotch, with an expected nutty element and some slight acidity.

Its sap will yield less syrup per gallon than maple trees due to its lower sugar content.

These trees are tapped in the same way as maple trees. Make sure to choose a mature tree with a trunk at least 10 inches in diameter.

You can identify black walnut by its alternating pinnate leaves, with slightly serrated leaflets. It also has identifiable dark, furrowed bark.

Growing Range: Throughout the central and eastern US

Time of Year to Tap: Late autumn to early spring

6. Butternut (Juglans cinerea)

Also known as white walnuts, butternut trees are another member of the walnut family that produces quality sap for syrup-making.

Butternut syrup has an earthy, nutty, slightly bittersweet taste that makes it a fascinating candidate for savory cooking.

Butternut is tapped with a drill, tap, and bucket (or other collection equipment), and it has a similar sugar content to sugar maple.

While the temptation to tap all of your local butternuts may be strong, keep in mind that this tree population has been decimated by butternut canker, so it is best to leave these trees alone, especially if you are an inexperienced tapper.

Growing Range: The entire northeastern US

Time of Year to Tap: Late autumn to early spring

7. Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata)

Hickory trees are another very interesting alternative to maple trees if you’re looking to make syrup.

Shagbark hickory is the most common hickory species for syrup and produces a strong, smoky flavor that can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.

Unlike most of the trees on this list, shagbark hickory syrup is not extracted by tapping. Instead, pieces of dry bark are roasted or baked before being boiled in water.

The boiling process will extract the hickory flavor, and the extract is then combined with cane sugar.

The great thing about hickory syrup is you do not need any extra equipment to make it, and you won’t risk damaging the tree either.

Instead, it is recommended to gather bark that has already naturally detached since it is drier than bark on the tree.

Growing Range: Distributed across most of the Eastern US.

Time of Year to Tap: Hickory bark can be harvested for syrup year-round

8. Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)

After maple, birch trees are the most common tree species that are tapped for syrup-making. Paper birch is the most common type of syrup birch because it has the highest sugar content of any birch species.

Birch trees are tapped in the same way as maple. However, paper birch contains much less sugar (its sugar content is just 1%, compared to maple sap which has a 2% sugar content), so it needs to be simmered rather than boiled for a much longer time in order to make syrup.

It takes 110 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup, compared to the 40:1 ratio of maple trees.

You can identify paper birch by its thin white bark which peels away from the tree trunk like paper.

Growing Range: Northernmost states (including Alaska), and some mountain ranges further south

Time of Year to Tap: Late winter, early spring after the last frosts

9. Sweet Birch (Betula lenta)

Sweet birches are one of the best birch trees to use for syrup production, as like the paper birch they offer exceptionally sweet sap, making their sugar content more similar to maple trees than most birches.

It also runs quite fast while tapping.

Sweet birchs are tapped in the same way as maple trees, with a drill-and-spout setup.

You can identify mature sweet birch – also known as black birch – by its rounded shape. Its leaves also smell like minty wintergreen when crushed. Sweet birches typically grow on north or east-facing forested slopes.

Growing Range: Northeastern US, south to the Appalachian mountains

Time of Year to Tap: Early spring

10. Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)

Of all the alternative syrup trees, sycamore is one of the most intriguing as the taste of sycamore syrup has been compared to butterscotch honey and even caramel. However, the sap does have a low sugar content and doesn’t flow as well as maples.

You can identify the American sycamore by its size – it has an enormous trunk and broad canopy – and by its very unique mottled and multi-colored bark, which resembles misshapen jigsaws.

Sycamores most often grow in lowlands and fields in the eastern US.

Growing Range: Distributed across the eastern US in most states east of the Great Plains

Time of Year to Tap: Late winter to early spring

11. Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)

Also known as ironwood, the hophornbeam is another unique syrup option, with some comparing its flavor to caramel or even toffee.

Hophornbeam has a lower sugar content than maple and it produces much less sap, so the process of collecting enough to make syrup can be quite time-consuming.

The hophornbeam is small and slender, with a rounded oval canopy and serrated leaves. Its fruits look a lot like beer hops, hence the name. They are understory trees and can be found thriving in varied growing conditions.

Growing Range: Much of the eastern US

Time of Year to Tap: Late spring

12. American Linden (Tilia americana)

American Linden (Tilia americana)

Our last unusual syrup tree is the American linden – or basswood, a tree that can produce sap but is rarely tapped as it is often difficult to get the sap running.

Some experienced tappers will swear you need a vacuum pump to extract linden sap, and that tapping later helps avoid quick tap-hole sealing for better yields.

Unfortunately, linden sap also has a low sugar content and is very watery, so it can take a lot of time to boil down into syrup. You will need 120 gallons of sap for 1 gallon of syrup.

It’s a good substitute if you don’t have access to other syrup trees, but it may not be worth the effort if you do.

You can identify linden trees by their pyramidal habit, furrowed trunk, and broad heart-shaped leaves. They typically grow in mountainous areas, upland hardwood forests, and valleys.

Growing Range: Across the eastern US

Time of Year to Tap: Early spring

12 Surprising Trees You Can Tap For Syrup
Shannon Campbell

Shannon Campbell

Shannon is a forager, mushroom hunter, and gardener who has embraced living off-grid. Passionate about nature and sustainable living, she shares her experiences to inspire others to connect with the natural world and foster their own self-sufficiency.