BRISTOL, R.I.__The 2014-2015 winter broke snow records across New England and the lasting cold has played a negative role on the regions maple syrup harvest. New England produces almost 65% of the nations maple syrup but not when the trees are still frozen.
Maple Syrup Sunday is an event that takes place on the fourth Sunday every March and attracts nearly 100,000 visitors. Sugarhouses offer tours, free samples and games to illustrate how their syrup is made. However, this year many farms in Maine may not participate because their trees have not yet produced sap.
As the warm weather breaks, the sap will begin to flow. Day time temperatures need to reach a few degrees above freezing for the trees to produce sap. Every year, this is a sure sign that spring is coming. Farms in southern Maine saw sap in early March but as temperatures dropped again the run was short lived. Farms in northern Maine were hit with 18 more inches of snow in mid March to further push back their season. However, this week’s weather forecast looks promising for farmers in northern Maine.
Climate change also posses a lasting threat to maple trees in the region. As temperatures gradually increase the trees will not be able to survive. Federal climate models predict that the region could lose most of its maple trees by next century, meaning the region would lose 2.5 million gallons of syrup annually.
Video courtesy of Chris Toy
