A comparatively mild winter has meant an early start to the maple syrup season in the U.S. Northeast.
In Vermont, the largest syrup-producing state, some farmers were tapping trees in January, said WCAX-TV in Burlington. The season usually runs from February into April. Cold and snowy winters in 2013 and 2014 delayed the sap runs. “This year, it looks like it could be the exact opposite,” said WCAX. In northern New York State, the No. 2 producer, “Maple syrup production is off to one of its earliest starts ever, setting the stage for what could be a long and record-breaking season,” said the New York Times.
Climate change would warm U.S. forests, and reduce production in sugar maples whose sap is boiled down into syrup. Sap runs are dependent on freeze and thaw cycles and the syrup season ends when trees begin to bud. This could eventually limit the habitat for sugar maple trees to Canada, researcher Joshua Rapp told public broadcaster WTTW-TV in Chicago. Canada produced 10 million gallons of syrup in 2013; the U.S. total is less than a fifth of that. “Rising temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns could deteriorate tree health and make the maple syrup season difficult to manage for producers,” said WTTW.