Also, we can anticipate a 14 to 18% reduction in the frequency of cold days (≤ 20☏) for northern Wisconsin and a 10 to 12% reduction for southern Wisconsin. Furthermore, they project the last spring freeze will come 12 to 15 days earlier, a 7.5 to 12.5 days earlier onset of springtime conditions, a slightly wetter fall, a wetter spring, and a reduction in the probability of frozen precipitation (e.g. The data indicates that we can expect: a 4.5 to 6 ☏ increase in average spring temperatures, with a 4.2 to 6.3 ☏ in average spring highs and a 4.5 to 6.3 ☏ increase in average spring lows. From this data we can anticipate potential climate change impacts on maple syrup production. Researchers have also downscaled global climate models using local historical climate data to generate fine-scale climate change predictions statewide. Gradually, we can expect that sugar maples will become more stressed and prone to insect damage as state average temperatures, especially as winter temperatures continue to increase. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have used climate models to predict the future distributions of the sugar maple and have found that it is expected to reduce in abundance in Wisconsin. Sugar maples are usually found in moist and nutrient rich environments and are more common in northeastern states. Considering the fact that maple syrup production happens over the period of about one month and is weather dependent, changes in climate could have significant impacts on the statewide production of maple syrup. Years of poor production are most often tied directly to environmental conditions. ![]() The National Agriculture Statistical Service data shows that in 20, the number of gallons of syrup produced in the state of Wisconsin was very low. This temperature change causes shifts in pressure outside the tree that send sap flowing throughout the tree and out any open wounds, like a hole for a tap. The best conditions for sugaring are cool nights, just below freezing, and fairly warm days, in the upper 40s ☏. Although little scientific research has been done, producers will argue that temperature variation, fall soil moisture, wind, spring soil moisture, or humidity can impact a sugarbush’s success. In 2009, those 500 plus producers managed over 670,000 taps and produced over 200,000 gallons of maple syrup (keep in mind it takes approximately 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup).Īny family who runs a sugarbush can tell you that weather plays a critical role in the production of maple syrup. Additionally, the crop value for just over 500 producers was roughly $5,865,000, in 2008 alone. According to the National Agriculture Statistics Service, Wisconsin is currently the number four maple syrup producing state. Maple syrup production also has an economic impact in Wisconsin. ![]() In addition, the Ojibwe of Wisconsin have harvested sap for cultural subsistence for centuries. In many school districts in northern Wisconsin, students are taken to local sugarbushes to learn how to collect and process sap. Even small-scale non-commercial sugarbushes involve many people, often extended family or close friends, in the collection and boiling of sap. ![]() ![]() Considering that many producers are family-run businesses that have been producing syrup for up to four generations, maple syrup production undoubtedly has an important cultural significance in Wisconsin. Many family farms in Wisconsin and elsewhere across northeastern states and eastern Canada, produce maple syrup for extra income, gifts, or family use. In early spring, forests of sugar maple, Wisconsin’s state tree, are tapped by the hundreds at many commercial and family-run "sugarbushes,” or wooded areas managed for maple syrup production, across the state. Maple syrup, a common breakfast condiment, is produced by concentrating the sap of the sugar maple, Acer saccharum. Share this story on Facebook Twitter Sugaring
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