A maple tree lasts at least 30 years and is 12 inches in diameter before it is tapped. As a tree increases in diameter more taps can be added, up to a maximum of four. Tapping does no permanent damage to the tree. Only 10% of the sap is collected each year. Each tap yields an average of 10 gallons of sap per season, yielding about one quart of syrup. Warm sunny days (above 40º F) and frosty nights are ideal for sap flow. The maple season may last 4 to 6 weeks, but sap flow is heaviest for 10 to 20 days. Sap flowing in high volumes is called a "run". The harvest season ends with the arrival of warm spring nights and early bud development in the trees. 30-50 gallons of sap are evaporated to make one gallon of syrup. Maple Syrup is boiled even further to produce Maple Cream, Sugar and Candy. It takes one gallon of syrup to produce eight pounds of candy or sugar. A gallon of pure Maple Syrup weighs 11 pounds. The sugar content of sap averages 2.5% The sugar content of syrup averages 66.5%