In the heart of Quincy University’s North Campus, the Environmental Club has undertaken a unique tradition,  tapping maple trees to extract the sweet sap that transforms into maple syrup. 

Amongst the silver maples, a tree in disguise appears. The sugar maple, easily distinguishable by its distinctive bark with large, hanging flakes.

“It’s normally like a really bad tree. A tree that you would not want in your yard. You have all kinds of problems. But maybe you produce a little bit of this stuff that you can use,” Joe Coelho, science professor, said. 

The Environmental Club has embraced the challenge, recognizing the potential to extract a sweet bounty from these seemingly problematic trees. 

The first step in extracting the sap is drilling a hole into the tree. But you have to be careful when doing this so you don’t hurt the tree. Students drill one hole per tree to ensure the safety of the tree. 

The next step is hammering a spiel into the tree tree and making sure that it is strong enough to hold the bucket.

Tapping trees, an intricate process, demands precision to extract just enough sap without jeopardizing the life of the silver maples.

A delicate time frame, spanning a month or two, exists where tapping yields desired results without causing harm to the trees.

“The weather has to be just perfect too. It has to be above freezing temperatures during the day and below freezing temperatures at night. This enables the sap the best flow,” Coelho said. 

During the cold winter season the sap lies dormant, waiting for spring. In the cold winter months, all life seems concentrated at the tree’s base, with the canopy appearing lifeless. However, in the spring the sap has nutrients it needs. The nutrients then bring life to the tree. 

After harvesting the sap the students bring it to the Sugar Shack. There they use a big machine called an industrial evaporator to boil all the sap. 

Once it’s boiled, they take it to the science lab and put it on a hot plate to turn it into syrup.

Once they have their finished product they students then start to bottle the syrup. They think they will yield more bottles this year than in previous years. 

“The proceeds go towards the Environmental Club and we have bought the water fountain inside and a bike rack,” Jules Clutte said. 

Students will be selling syrup in the months to come with the proceeds going to the Environmental Club.