The State Inspectorate for the Protection of Fauna and Flora under the President of the Republic of Belarus informs...
The State Inspectorate for the Protection of Fauna and Flora under the President of the Republic of Belarus informs:
The collection of tree sap may be carried out in areas designated for other felling and intermediate use felling in the year of felling, from birch trees designated for felling.
Healthy stands of quality classes I and II with a fullness of at least 0.4 are selected for sap collection.
Undeformed trees with a well-developed crown and a diameter of twenty centimetres or more at breast height are selected for sap collection.
In the butt section of the trees selected for sap collection, at a height of thirty-five to fifty centimetres from the root collar, the location and number of sap collection holes are marked depending on the diameter of the tree:
with a diameter of 20 - 26 centimetres - one hole;
with a diameter of 27 - 34 centimetres - two holes;
with a diameter of 35 - 40 centimetres - three holes;
with a diameter of over 40 centimetres - four holes.
Citizens, for their own needs, have the right to collect tree sap in forest fund areas designated for these purposes by legal entities engaged in forestry. To do this, it is necessary to contact the institution engaged in forestry (forest enterprise, forestry unit).
Before drilling the channel, the rough bark is removed with a scraper or axe without damaging the phloem.
Tapping holes are drilled immediately after sap flow begins, which is determined by piercing the tree trunk with an awl. The holes are drilled with a slight downward slope for better sap drainage. The diameter of the hole is one centimeter, and the depth is two to three centimeters, excluding the bark thickness.
A spout, made of stainless metal or other material permitted for use in accordance with technical normative legal acts, is inserted into the prepared hole for sap drainage. Sap collectors (glass or enameled containers, polyethylene bags, etc.) should be placed under the spouts.
In the second half of the tapping season, the fatty fungus, which forms at the drilled holes as white or pink foam, should be removed with a wooden spatula.
In the next tapping season, a new hole must be drilled at a distance of at least twenty centimeters from the old hole.
Juice is collected as the juice collectors are filled, but at least once a day.
After the tapping season ends, the gutters must be removed, and the holes must be plugged with a wooden stopper. The holes and cuts must be sealed with pitch, garden salve, clay with lime, or resin containing fifteen to twenty percent charcoal to prevent tree diseases.
In the next tapping season, the new cut or hole must be located at a distance of at least 20 centimeters from the old cut or hole.
According to Part 1 of Article 15.22 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Belarus, the collection or harvesting of mushrooms, other wild plants or their parts (fruits, berries, seeds, etc.), or tree sap in areas where such harvesting or collection is prohibited, or their harvesting or collection without a permit document when it is mandatory, or not in accordance with it –
entails a warning or a fine of up to twenty base units, for an individual entrepreneur – up to one hundred base units, for a legal entity – up to five hundred base units.
Violation of established deadlines, use of prohibited means or methods for collecting or harvesting mushrooms, other wild plants or their parts, or tree sap, or other violation of the rules for collection or harvesting –
entails a warning or a fine of up to twenty base units, for an individual entrepreneur – up to one hundred base units, and for a legal entity – up to five hundred base units.