by Leah Cass
As the snow fell and chilly winds blew from January-March, we were warm in the sugar house making winter’s sweetest treat! It was another successful sugaring season here at Trailside, and all said and done, we produced eight gallons of syrup from about 600 gallons of sap. Of course, this was in part due to our wonderful maintenance crew, who kept our sugar house stocked with firewood, and everyone who attended our events to help us out!
This year, we hung 40 buckets on 38 trees with assistance from 18 families who attended our Family Tapping Experiences, 10 school groups, and one scout group. Our sugar house chats were well attended, bringing in over 200 participants altogether. And, though we had some snowy weather for our Sugaring Off Party, the day was full of sweet treats, music, and educational demonstrations.
Lucky for us, besides the snowstorm that disrupted Sugaring Off, the weather was fairly cooperative. For the sap to flow, temperature fluctuations are necessary. Ideally, the temperature should drop below freezing at night and come above freezing during the day. The temperature changes create a pressure difference within the tree that drives the sap up and down. Though there were both hot and cold stints in the season, we had six successful sap collection days, yielding an average of 100 gallons of sap each.
Our 600 gallons of sap may sound like a lot, but it takes 40-50 gallons of sap to produce a single gallon of syrup. This is because our sap averages about 2% sugar, while maple syrup is a whopping 66% sugar.
While out collecting, we also compile data on our sap production throughout the year. Statistics of interest included inches of sap fill per bucket and sugar content of each tree’s sap. This allows us to plan which trees to tap next season because we can avoid trees that did not produce well. It also allows us to track our sap outputs over longer periods of time as climate change threatens maple syrup production – especially in this region where sugar maples are at the southern tip of their range.
In the future, this area could become too warm for sugar maples, and even if they stick around, the period of temperature fluctuation that supports sap flow is shortening. This provides an important reminder to appreciate our treats and traditions while we are still able to, and to do what we can to maintain our environment so these things last for future generations.
