EXPLODING MAPLE TREES

Alan writes...

Jim- Is it true that there is an 86% chance that you get killed if you stand at least 50 ft away from a maple tree when it explodes?

For those who don't fully understand the question, tree legend has it that if a sugar maple tree is not tapped for maple syrup, the sap will built up to create internal pressures high enough that the tree could explode. I really think the question should be "If a sugar maple tree explodes in the middle of the woods, but there is no one there to see it, can the sap still be boiled down into syrup?"

The answer to the question at hand is...

Oh, yeah, an African maple maybe, but not a European maple.