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Tapping into an early maple syrup season Tapping into an early maple syrup season.

By Zachary Nemirovsky

ZACH NEMIROVSKY: Sunny days in warm weather in late February is a pleasant reminder that spring is just around the corner. But it also signals the start of something a little sweeter an unusually warm winter has pushed the production of maple syrup up at Heiberg Memorial Forest in Tully.

Trees were tapped in the first week of January Forest resource analyst Jill Rahn says this was the second earliest start behind the 2018 season.

JILL RAHN: We’re tapping middle of January end of January it used to be unheard of up here. We used to not tap until around Valentine’s Day.

NEMIROVSKY: This change is part of a warmer winter trend here in central New York Forest property manager Mark Appleby says he’s noticed the effect this has had on the trees in recent years.

MARK APPLEBY: We used to get this kind of flow and set second week of March and now I’ve noticed probably over the last 6 years that we’ve been moving that back further and further.

NEMIROVSKY: Appleby says if the warm weather continues, he expects to stop tapping trees like this one in roughly two weeks but if it gets cold again and resets the trees he can see the syrup harvest continuing until the end of March.

APPLEBY: If it stays in the 60s we’ll be done within 2 weeks. 10 years ago, 15 years ago we used to go until the beginning of April – second week of April.

NEMIROVSKY: Because production of the syrup is so closely linked to weather Rahn is keeping her eyes on the upcoming forecast.

RAHN: These warmer temperatures are really just tricky to predict as a maple producer because once the trees start to bud out we lose that sweet sap.

NEMIROVSKY: Despite a sticky start to this syrup season it still tastes good as ever.

Zach Nemirovsky, NCC News

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — In Central New York, an unusually warm winter has led to an early start of the maple syrup season.

At Heiberg Memorial Forest in Tully the tapping of trees and boiling of sap began in the first week of January, making this the second earliest start behind the 2018 season.

“We’re tapping middle of January, end of January; it used to be unheard of up here,” says Jill Rahn, Forest Resource Analyst at Heiberg Memorial Forest, “we used to not tap until around Valentine’s Day.”

This shift is indicative of a broader trend of warmer winters in the region. Since 2003, the average temperature during winter has risen by close to 10 degrees.

Temperature fluctuation between cold nights and warm mornings creates pressure inside the tree which pushes the sap out.

Warm weather early in the new year means that trees like those in the 23-acre sugar bush at the forest are tapped much sooner.

“We used to get this kind of flow second week of March” says Mark Appleby, Property Manager at Heiberg Memorial Forest, “I’ve noticed probably over the last six years that we’ve been moving that [earlier and earlier].”

If warmer weather continues trees will stop being tapped in two weeks, but if it gets cold again the harvest could be extended until the end of March.

“These warmer temperatures are really just tricky to predict as a maple producer because once the trees start to bud out, we lose that sweet sap,” says Rahn.

Despite a rushed start to the season the final product tastes anything but that.

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