TREE SAP EXPERIMENT 2009
     As part of an ongoing experiment which we will update you  regularly on our 
      experiment diary (click here), we are trying to find out more about the sap in
      some of the trees that grow in Lullymore. We are going to take some of the sap
      out by tapping three Birch trees.

     Tapping means making a hole in the bark, putting in a tube and collecting the sap in the bottle.

       WARNING: Tapping trees must be done very carefully as if too much sap flows out, the tree "bleeds to death".
       We will seal the hole in each tree after collection and all of the trees are mature (strong enough to lose some sap).

      WHAT IS SAP?

      Sap is vital to a plant just as blood is vital to you. It is a juice that moves round the plant
      carrying energy between the roots and the leaves. If there was no sap, there would be no
      leaves, buds or fruit on our trees and no flowers in our fields. It is the lifeblood of plants.

      In trees, sap moves in the slimy layer between the bark and the wood which is called the
      cambium. Sap that has dried out a bit and become sticky is called syrup or sometimes resin.
      If it then gets even drier and hardens it's called gum.

      SAP IN DECIDUOUS & EVERGREEN TREES

      In deciduous trees (ones that lose their leaves) all the sap is drawn underground into the
      roots a few weeks before the leaves fall off in autumn - a bit like the way some animals
      hibernate in winter. In spring, it shoots back up into the trunk, branches and twigs a few
      weeks before the new leaves break out of their buds.

      In evergreens, the sap isn't all drawn down to the roots and the leaves don't fall of in Autumn.

      WHY ARE WE DOING THIS EXPERIMENT?

      The main reason we are doing this experiment is because of YOU! We have had lots of
      schools visiting the park for Discover Science tours and many pupils have asked us
      questions like: How much tree sap is there? Why does the tree sap rise? When does the
      tree sap  rise?

      When we tried to find out more to answer your questions, we found it very difficult to
      get any answers, so the reason for this experiment is really down to the "budding"
      scientists that visited us last year!

      We will have to do our experiment every spring for a few years to find out all the things
      we want to know but some of the things we expect to find out over the coming months are:

      1.  When in spring does the sap start to rise in each tree?

      2.  Is it the temperature or the length of the day that makes this happen?

      3.  Do trees of the same kind all rise on the one day?

      Please follow our Experiment Diary which we'll update regularly to let you know
      whats happening and e-mail us ray@lullymoreheritagepark.com to tell us what you
      think or to get more info.