Newswise — Brian Chabot, professor of ecology at Cornell University and with the Cornell Maple Program, was the lead author of the section of the 2011 NYSERDA ClimAID report dealing with the future of the maple sugar industry. Here he comments on how the unusually mild winter could affect regional production.
Chabot says:
“Could this winter be a taste of the future for maple sugar producers?
“It certainly fits the predictions of climate models that forecast both climate warming and increased variability of climates in the Northeast. We saw in January and February the alternating freezing and thawing required for sap production that are more typical of March. Nervous producers started tapping a week or more earlier than normal hoping they didn’t miss too many of the days with the right conditions.
“The main concern is whether producers in warmer areas of the state will have fewer days when the sap is flowing, leading to lower amounts of syrup. Warmer weather also causes yeast and bacteria to grow faster in the sap, which may lead to darker, more flavorful syrup.”
RSS