Relating to what you are talking about, I would hazard a guess that moon cycles could trigger certain chemical changes and biological responses within the tree, similar to the changes occurring within the maples. It would be interesting to see whether or not the sugar flow in maple tends to center around moon cycles. I would not be at all surprised if in the old day they tapped the trees when the moon was right...
The nutrient content of sap is at its lowest between the Fall Equinox and the Winter Solstice, so to prevent bug attacks trees are harvested on the days immediately preceding the new moon during that period, but not on the new moon. Cutting during this time and leaving the branches on will supposedly allow the rest of the nutrients to leach out into the branches as the tree dies.
The old wisdom apparently says that there are other resins and chemicals that are usually present in the roots that will flux around through the rest of the tree during the winter season, perhaps as a way that the tree protects itself during this time? Or perhaps merely a by-product of environmental conditions.
We also know that the makeup of the air is different in the winter than in the summer. Perhaps this has some effect?
There appears to be significant differences in carbon and calcium content in the wood (possibly among others) that does indeed revolve around moon cycles.
