MiSustainable Holland: Maple sugaring faces climate change effects ... - HollandSentinel.com

MiSustainable Holland: Maple sugaring faces climate change effects, too

HOLLAND — In March 2007, DeGraaf Nature Center began maple syrup production alongside its decade-old educational program, walking students and adults alike through the amazing process of turning maple sap into maple syrup.

The sugarbush at Van Raalte Farm Park is now in its 17th season, as we continue to tell the story of maple sugaring as a natural resource that has been a part of Michigan culture for thousands of years.

But what is the next story? As we move forward into the next generations of maple syrup producers, will the story stay the same? Will the process remain unchanged? Not likely.

Change is inevitable, as we have seen with improved technologies in syrup production. What started in hollowed-out ironwood troughs over an open fire is now done in state-of-the-art stainless steel evaporators with a wide variety of efficiencies designed to produce more syrup using less energy.

But there is one more story to tell about the future of maple sugaring, and that is how our changing climate will affect the industry.

The maple syrup season is entirely determined by the changing seasons in a reasonably small region of North America that extends from as far south as parts of West Virginia, north through New England into Canada, and west to Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota.

In late winter and early spring, the freeze/thaw cycle from night and day temperatures generates pressure within the xylem tissue of the maple trees, which results in sap movement. Sap is then collected as it drips from spiles, or spouts, inserted into the tree. In Michigan, this typically begins in early March.

Is our changing climate affecting the maple sugar season already? The answer is probably an easy yes, but how?

Three things that will likely change are the dates the sap runs, the amount and quality of sap collected, and a shift in the geography of the maple sugaring region.

Since the season is driven by the freeze/thaw cycle, it stands to reason that as the climate warms, the start of our season will slowly drift earlier.

Also, as the climate warms, the range of the sugar maple tree will likely shift toward the north making it impossible to produce syrup in the southern reaches of the region. One study found that by the year 2100, the southern limit of maple syrup production will likely be the northern part of the Lower Peninsula.

I’m just a casual maple syrup producer, but this is a shocking projection that affects not only the supply of maple syrup to the market, but thousands of producers both small and large. Can we live without maple syrup? Yes, but this is just one more agricultural concern related to climate change that needs to be addressed.

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In the meantime, take the opportunity this month to learn a thing or two about maple syrup and other tree-to-table products.

To learn more about maple syrup and how it’s made, join us in the sugarbush for our annual Maple Sugar Time events on March 11 and 18 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Van Raalte Farm Park, 1076 E. 16th St. in Holland.

— Mike Graves is a naturalist with the ODC Network and has been sugaring for 17 seasons in the Van Raatle Farm sugarbush

About this series The MiSustainable Holland column is a collection of community voices sharing updates about local sustainability initiatives. This Week’s Sustainability Framework Theme: Community Knowledge: The collective knowledge and energy of the community is an incredible resource that must be channeled to where it is needed.