BIRCH TAPPING
Birch is one of the commonest native trees in Wales. In addition to the 12,000ha of birch woodland it rapidly colonises any land left fallow and rapidly forms ‘scrub’. Although much appreciated for its beauty, birch is a useful species which is under-utilised in Wales.
Birch is tapped commercially in Nordic countries as the sap makes a refreshing beverage. The sap can also be reduced (boiled) to form a sweet and distinctive syrup, commonly used as a marinade and quite different to maple syrup.
Dewis Gwyllt explored the potential for establishing sustainable birch syrup supply chains and markets in Wales. Work commenced in 2019 with research into birch tapping and its effect on tree health, along with sap processing trials to produce syrup, utilising facilities at the Wales Food Technology Centres.
There are three main strands to this work:
- Impact of tapping on individual tree health and growth rates
- Relationships between sap production and tree, stand and site characteristics
- Influence of weather conditions on the timing and volume of sap production.
Dewis Gwyllt has worked closely with Llyn Parc Mawr, Cwmffrwd Farm, Wild Spirit and Abergavenny Community Woodland Group to pilot a joint processing hub to enable the efficient production of birch syrup. Dewis Gwyllt birch syrup is
now available to buy from Llais y Goedwig! CONTACT US to find out more.
Besides exploring birch syrup as a product much of our work focuses on establishing the sustainability of birch tapping. Find out more via our BIRCH TAPPING CASE STUDY.
FURTHER RESEARCH
After successfully piloting birch syrup production in 2020, Llais y Goedwig was successful in it’s application for funding from Farming Connect’s European Innovation Programme, to further explore the post-harvest storage of sap and preliminary processing methods, including reverse osmosis. Find out more here.
If you are a Llais y Goedwig member or live in Wales and would like to know more about making birch syrup, contact us.
DEWIS GWYLLT RESOURCES
BIRCH TAPPING
Birch is one of the commonest native trees in Wales. In addition to the 12,000ha of birch woodland it rapidly colonises any land left fallow and rapidly forms ‘scrub’. Although much appreciated for its beauty, birch is a useful species which is under-utilised in Wales.
Birch is tapped commercially in Nordic countries as the sap makes a refreshing beverage. The sap can also be reduced (boiled) to form a sweet and distinctive syrup, commonly used as a marinade and quite different to maple syrup.
Dewis Gwyllt explored the potential for establishing sustainable birch syrup supply chains and markets in Wales. Work commenced in 2019 with research into birch tapping and its effect on tree health, along with sap processing trials to produce syrup, utilising facilities at the Wales Food Technology Centres.
Dewis Gwyllt has worked closely with Llyn Parc Mawr, Cwmffrwd Farm, Wild Spirit and Abergavenny Community Woodland Group to pilot a joint processing hub to enable the efficient production of birch syrup. Birch syrup produced from Wales’ community woodlands is now available to purchase at Llais y Goedwig ! CONTACT US to find out more.
Besides exploring birch syrup as a product much of our work focuses on establishing the sustainability of birch tapping. Find out more via our BIRCH TAPPING CASE STUDY.
FURTHER RESEARCH
After successfully piloting birch syrup production in 2020, Llais y Goedwig was successful in it’s application for funding from Farming Connect’s European Innovation Programme, to further explore the post-harvest storage of sap and preliminary processing methods, including reverse osmosis. Find out more here.
If you are a Llais y Goedwig member or live in Wales and would like to know more about making birch syrup, CONTACT US!
DEWIS GWYLLT RESOURCES
CASE STUDY
In 2019 Dewis Gwyllt started conducting birch tapping research and monitoring, to better understand the production of sap in Wales. There are three main strands to this work:
- Impact of tapping on individual tree health and growth rates
- Relationships between sap production and tree, stand and site characteristics
- Influence of weather conditions on the timing and volume of sap production.
Preliminary results are encouraging but it will take a few years of monitoring to get definitive results. Nevertheless, what we are finding conforms to experience in North America and Northern Europe. Taking these together we are devising standards for sustainable birch tapping (coming soon!) with the support of the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) UK, suitable for use in certification schemes.
CASE STUDY
In 2019 Dewis Gwyllt started conducting birch tapping research and monitoring, to better understand the production of sap in Wales. There are three main strands to this work:
- Impact of tapping on individual tree health and growth rates
- Relationships between sap production and tree, stand and site characteristics
- Influence of weather conditions on the timing and volume of sap production.
Preliminary results are encouraging but it will take a few years of monitoring to get definitive results. Nevertheless, what we are finding conforms to experience in North America and Northern Europe. Taking these together we are devising standards for sustainable birch tapping (coming soon!) with the support of the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) UK, suitable for use in certification schemes.
