WNY maple syrup producers are feeling effects of climate change
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Tapped maple trees are reflected in a pond at Randall’s Maple Products last week. The “freeze-thaw cycle” is what makes a boom or bust year for the maple syrup industry.
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Greg Zimpfer uses a hydrometer to test the sugar content of maple syrup coming out of the evaporator at Merle Maple on Monday, March 16, 2026. (Joshua Bessex/Buffalo News)
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The troubling trend of severe snowstorms happening more often in Western New York may be due to the planet heating up as humans continue to burn excess fossil fuels. A warmer atmosphere means Lake Erie freezes over less and there is more moisture for big storms to draw from, according to experts.
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Sap collection buckets hang on the wall of the sugar shack at Randall’s Maple Products.
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Maple trees planted near the sugar shack at Merle Maple on Monday, March 16, 2026. (Joshua Bessex/Buffalo News)
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Maple trees grow in a sugar bush on the hill overlooking Merle Maple on Monday, March 16, 2026. (Joshua Bessex/Buffalo News)
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Containers of maple syrup sit on a windowsill in the sugar shack at Randall’s Maple Products near Alexander.
Joshua Bessex, Buffalo NewsReach climate and environment reporter Mackenzie Shuman at mshuman@buffnews.com or 716-715-4722.
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