Birch sap cooperative boosts OneTree’s work

When Jan Dawe sought extra help this spring collecting
birch sap for OneTree Alaska’s research, the response surpassed her
expectations.

Sugar master Shaun Johnson filters the syrup that he has been  processing in OneTree’s facility.

Dawe said more than 20 people showed up at the first birch sap
cooperative meeting OneTree organized, and people just kept calling and
stopping by to check out the taps and buckets they needed.  Altogether, 43 households and school groups
collected sap for the co-op.

Individuals who delivered sap to the OneTree facility in the old
Lola Tilly Commons kitchen will receive a share of birch syrup in July based on
the amount of sap they contributed.

OneTree’s buckets hang from trees at Valene and Rod Ebersole’s home.

And they delivered. Beginning in mid-April, 3.5- and 5-gallon white buckets
arrived daily during 30-day season when clear sap flowed in Interior birch
trees. Some collectors delivered as many as 60-80 gallons a day. They tapped
trees as far south as Salcha and in all areas around Fairbanks.

Altogether, volunteers collected 3,300 gallons of birch sap. That,
combined with OneTree’s collection of 2,000 gallons, added up to 5,300 gallons
— one sweet haul.

Dawe and her staff have been exploring processing techniques for small-scale
birch sap production.  They are investigating
different types of evaporators and methods to see how they affect the efficiency
and quality of syrup production. Dawe, a botanist by training, is
a research assistant professor of natural resource education and community
engagement. She describes the birch sap work as a demonstration research
project, and the OneTree facility an “incubator” to encourage entrepreneurs
interested in the business.  

At least seven producers sold birch syrup in Alaska in the
1990s, she said.  Only one larger
business near Talkeetna, Kahiltna Birchworks, still exists, along with a new small
company in Fairbanks called Sample Alaska, LLC

Dawe said the co-op’s birch tappers included students,
retirees, families and others. Some were curious about tapping trees and others
want to sell products, such as candies and granola, made with the syrup. A few are
considering whether to start their own business.

Shaun Johnson uses a digital refractometer to  measure the sugar content of the syrup.

Valene and Rod Ebersole tapped 60 birch trees on their farm off
Steele Creek Road and on their best day delivered 80 gallons of sap to the
co-op. They averaged around 60 gallons over a 10-day period. Valene said the
couple planted 1,000 peonies last year and were looking for other possibilities
for their farm when they heard about birch syrup processing at the Sustainable
Agriculture Conference in Fairbanks this spring.

She said, “We’ve got birch trees. Why don’t we try this?”

She said it went pretty well, although it was a lot of labor
carrying around the buckets. They may try tubing next year and collect sap for
the co-op again. After they see how things go next year, they will consider
whether to start making birch syrup as a business.

Mary Calmes and her husband, Tim Quintal, learned about the
co-op from a neighbor and decided to give birch tapping a try. After getting
the equipment and instructions from OneTree, they tapped six birch trees on
their property off Smallwood Trail.

Calmes said they collected about three gallons of birch sap
daily, kept a half-gallon for themselves to drink and delivered the rest.
Calmes said the birch water tastes a lot like water but has a hint of sweetness
to it and contains a variety of minerals.  They plan to tap again next year, she said,
because as retirees they have the time to do it.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Calmes.

Dawe has been working with a New York fabricator who sells
small-scale evaporators and reverse osmosis machines for sap product operations.
Steve Caccamo of Next Generation Maple Products came to Alaska this spring to
install equipment in the OneTree facility and to participate with Dawe in birch
sap processing workshops. The smaller, hobby-size equipment he sells makes it
more affordable for small producers to get in the business, according to Dawe.

Birch sap is sold in many areas of the world as birch water,
a tonic with a slightly sweet taste, and some countries have traditionally held
birch sap festivals. Dawe said birch sap has gained attention lately because of
what people believe are its healthful properties.

Concentrated birch sap awaits processing.

Individuals who have tasted birch syrup previously may think
of a dark molasses-tasting syrup.  The
darker syrup is developed with longer processing times and late season sap.
Dawe and crew have been experimenting with quicker processing methods that
produce a lighter-colored syrup with more subtle flavors reminiscent of honey
with a slightly fruity flavor.

In OneTree’s facility on a recent afternoon, the program’s
sugar master, Shaun Johnson, explained how the process works.  Sap is run through a filter and into a
150-gallon tank. From there, it runs through a reverse osmosis machine to
concentrate the syrup and eliminate about 85 percent of the water. The
concentrated sap is frozen until it can be further processed in a steam evaporator
or in a heated flat metal pan.

As the water evaporates, he uses a digital refractometer to
check the sugar level. As it concentrates, the syrup darkens. They use a
variety of evaporators, but he says, “The faster the evaporator, the lighter
the syrup.”

It takes, on average, 100 gallons of birch sap for 1 gallon
of syrup. Maple sap is sweeter at about  40:1.
First run birch sap collected during the first few days of sap season is the best
because it contains some sucrose, said Dawe. In fact, OneTree’s early-season
birch syrup won first place for taste this year in the second-annual Global
Birch Syrups Challenge in Leningrad, which included entries from Russia, Alaska
and Canada.

In addition to research and outreach, Dawe and her staff are
experimenting with selling birch syrup-based products to help support the
OneTree program. They are selling straws that contain birch syrup for $1 each
and are also developing birch caramels and birch fudge. Dawe said that at least
two university programs in Vermont and New York also help support their programs
by selling birch products.