Meet Dr. Tim Rademacher, who will assume the position of Scientific Director at University of Vermont’s Proctor Maple Research Center (PMRC) this fall. Born in Germany, Rademacher recounts how influential trees were in the culture of his youth, “In Northern Europe, where I grew up, trees are an integral part of our culture and mythologies, where the first humans were cut out of trees and had an innate connection with trees.” But Rademacher concedes that the maple tree has been a much more recent passion, “Maple syrup is a very North American business. I kind of fell into the whole maple syrup side of things by coincidence, and it was really opportune because of my scientific background studying sugars in trees. When I found maple, I fell in love with it because it touches on a lot of topics that I was very curious about, from ecological economics, to tree physiology, to climate change, to biodiversity science. Maple forests have the potential to be a nature-based solution for climate mitigation, but we still have knowledge gaps to really make sure that we can use maple forests in the most effective way. Such as how exactly to manage them for the different ecosystem services they provide? How do we reconcile the economic viability with ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and biodiversity protection? These are important areas of research, but the bottom line is still making maple syrup.”
Rademacher earned both his undergraduate and doctoral degrees at Cambridge University.
“My PhD was on global simulations of the carbon cycle focusing on the interaction between the biosphere and the atmosphere. I was very much interested in how plants interact with climate. How plants affect climate because they absorb carbon, but also how plants are affected by climate. We can't yet say what exactly the temperature will be at the end of this century. Will it be 2 degrees warmer on average or will it be 8 degrees warmer? One of the major reasons for this large uncertainty range is the interaction between terrestrial vegetation and the climate. Reducing that uncertainty margin to get better forecasts was the aim of my PhD. So, I worked with global simulations and the work was super interesting. But it was also very abstract. When you work at a global level, you have to work with abstractions and theory. Subsequently, I spent my entire PhD sitting in front of a computer, and after my PhD, I wanted to get boots on the ground. I wanted to see what it all actually means in terms of the forest and whether these abstract models that we develop… well how close are they to reality?”
This desire for concrete experimentation led him to his postdoc at Harvard University.
“Harvard Forest is one of these wonderful research sites, like Proctor Maple Research Center, where we have a rich history of data collection, research, and science. And we can tap into all of that data to better understand how the ecosystem works.”
As part of his research at Harvard, Tim developed a Talking Tree, or more precisely, a Tweeting Tree. In July 2018, a century-old red oak went live @awitnesstree, posting from the Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA.
“Harvard Forest, like PMRC, had so many data streams and these data streams were telling me a story, that I could decipher due to my scientific training, but that remained hidden for the vast majority. A journalist, Lynda V. Mapes, came to Harvard Forest for a residence and she wrote a book, Witness Tree: Seasons of Change with a Century-Old Oak. That was quite influential in my thinking. Lynda had just finished up her book when I started at Harvard Forest. Her book about climate change is from the perspective of a tree. Trees are quite often represented in pop culture with very similar attributes that seem to be universal: They are wise and trustworthy messengers. They are familiar, yet alien guardians connecting us to the rest of the natural world. So, I thought it would be really interesting to use all of the data collected at the Harvard Forest, which we could decipher because our eyes as plant scientists were trained to analyze the patterns and understand what happens. I wanted to try to make that story more accessible. This was the whole idea behind the witness tree or the Talking Tree project.
“Then I set out to build the hardware and the algorithm needed to tell the story of life in a changing environment from the perspective of an oak tree. The idea here was to pick up on things that people would either not see at all, or maybe not realize, and make them visible. The impact this project had was quite astounding. The Talking Tree went viral. Initially, the impact was from the tech community. I think because they were super interested in what they saw originally as two opposing forces, technology and nature, which we brought together in that project. But then it really branched out and reached another level when we realized the educational potential of it all. I was very lucky to work together with Clarisse Hart, who is the Director of Outreach and Education at Harvard Forest, and Clarisse spotted this potential very soon. So, we then branched out to explore the use of this technology in education, and in teaching of technology and nature. I think it is important for kids to learn early on that nature and technology can work together and how to better do that then learning about both at the same time in an interactive way. You can learn about how the sensors work and how the technology behind it works, while at the same time learning about the environment, the climate or physiological data, or what this data tells us.
“One strength of this project has always been that the data was talking directly. It wasn’t me, as a scientist, saying, “Watch out, the climate is really an issue now and it is warming.” It was the algorithm saying, “This is the 24th hottest day I can remember.” The “memory” here is based on 64 years of climate data. On the day that this message was generated, I was eating ice cream on my porch. I got a notification that the tree had posted. It was a very warm day, but I wouldn't have realized its historic significance. Climate change is insidious, it's very important to make it tangible, but technology such as the Talking Tree can play a role in that.”
Rademacher has many ideas about how he might similarly use technology in service of both maple education and for the industry. “There are loads of interesting data that can be shared, such as real-time streaming of our sap-flow during the sugaring season. I know that this data already exists, but maybe just repackaging it to make it more accessible, interactive and build tools that help with decision making, such as how to manage their forests, when to tap, or when to switch on the vacuum pumps and when to switch them off… these kind of decisions.”
After Harvard Rademacher relocated to Canada where he has been involved in maple research first at the University of Quebec in Outaouais as a postdoc and adjunct professor, and most recently at Centre ACER as a researcher in forest ecophysiology and sustainable.
“I kind of fell into the evaporator and got stuck. I found it super interesting as well, because as much as this is a burgeoning and expanding industry, both North and South of the border, there is still very little research. Proctor Maple Research Center is one of the few institutions that's dedicated to maple research. In Quebec, which is the largest producer of maple syrup -- they control about 80% to 75% of the global production, depending on the year -- there's only a single research chair that specializes in the engineering and technology of maple sugaring, but none on the trees. Working on maple was also an opportunity for me, with my expertise in tree ecophysiology, to actually build a niche.
“I'm very excited to join Proctor with its rich history and its excellent work that has really pushed the industry in the past. I hope to build on that and to continue the wonderful work that has been done by Timothy Perkins, Abby van den Berg, Mark Isselhardt, Timothy Wilmot, Mariafranca Morselli, James Marvin and all the people that have been doing great work already.
Proctor Maple Research Center is a Field Research Station of the Department of Plant Biology at the University of Vermont, with over 300 acres of sugarbush located in Underhill, VT. UVM has led the world in maple research for over 100 years. PMRC was the first site in the world created exclusively to study maple, and PMRC has been the global leader for both applied and basic research on maple for 75 years. PMRC works closely with sugarmakers, responding to their needs, and while providing science-based guidance to the international maple industry. 
“I think one of my advantages coming into this post is that I know the industry and research on maple in Canada very well. Traditionally, the maple research was very much on the applied side in Quebec and Canada and mostly performed at applied research institutes. That is changing currently, so there are more and more research groups in Canadian universities that are beginning to work on maple and maple-related issues. However, Proctor has a 75-year history of doing both applied and basic science, and I think that's really a strength. That's where I also want to build on and continue. Some applied problems are helpful to work on because they can lead to tangible changes to how we produce maple syrup, and I work on some of those projects already. But the basic science side is really important with regards to sustainable development of maple sugaring, because if we just focus on the applied side, we miss the important bigger picture in a fast-changing environment. One of the other great things at Proctor is to be able to work with maple producers.
“Many maple producers have been sugaring for a long time. Quite often, they did it since their childhood with their families. That means they have seen how the production season is sooner and sooner. We have living memories of when they were a child and when they used to tap. Depending on the region, let's just pick a date and say, they used to tap on average in March, and now they do it in February, and they have lived these changes. Maple sugar producers are often pre-occupied by these changes because they have the health of the forest at heart, but to answer some of the bigger picture questions you need a different research context. It's Proctor that is going to play a very important role in these larger, bigger-picture questions, as well as in continually improving and innovating the production process.
“Maple forests also don't care about political borders. If you do research just in Quebec on how maple trees will react to warming temperatures, you can't really say much about it just from sites in Quebec, because you're missing a large part of the species’ distribution. Same if you do research just in the US. One of my hopes is that I can leverage my networks in Canada to do cross-border science and get rigorous answers on how maple forests, that range from Kentucky to Quebec, will react in the future.
“I'm just one person and I don't think I will make the biggest difference. I think the biggest difference will come by involving other people, and by creating a place and culture of discussion and of academic exchange. It's that culture that will push the boundaries of our knowledge and lead to innovations. I hope that Proctor will be a place where diverse voices can engage in a dialogue to move the conversation forward and these exchanges are catalysts for change and innovation. That will ensure that Proctor is a very valuable asset for UVM, for the industry, for the Community, and for Vermont. That’s my hope for Proctor.
“Climate change, invasive species, biodiversity loss, these kinds of topics become more and more important, and yet they also need to be reconciled with the economic reality of maple sugaring. How to reconcile the protection of carbon stocks and biodiversity with maple sugaring is a crucial question right now, when sugar makers are only paid for the production of maple syrup. How can we manage sugaring operations to optimize multiple ecosystem services derived from the ecosystems while assuring their sustainability in the long-rung and improving their bottom line? In short, how can we assure that this industry continues to thrive? My goal for PMRC is to answer some of the important scientific questions directly as well as to become a place of learning and engagement, so that we can help the maple industry and the community around it to continue to thrive.”
What is Rademacher most looking forward to about living in Vermont?
“The mountains, Lake Champlain, bicycle riding—I love the outdoors. Not immediately, but in the long run, I would like to have my own little sugaring operation because I think it's important to actually know hands-on how it works. I'm never going to have a large operation because research will have to be a priority, especially during the sugaring season. But eventually, it would be nice to have my own little part of the woods somewhere with some maple trees and enjoy the great Vermont outdoors.”