The Proctor Maple Research Center is a field research station of the Department of Plant Biology at the University of Vermont on the western slopes of Mt. Mansfield in Underhill, Vermont.

The sugar maple tree (Acer saccharum) has roots in everything we do. We strive to contribute to the practical and scholarly knowledge required for the success of the maple industry, through research, demonstration, and education.

Our applied research has produced new techniques for sap collection and evaporation and for improving syrup quality, while basic research has shed light on the physiology and health of sugar maple trees and the chemistry of sap and syrup. We also serve as a field classroom for students and a research site for scientists in many disciplines. Through presentations and demonstrations we reach thousands of producers every year.

We have two major stands of sugarwoods and a modern sugarhouse that support our sugaring operation. Currently, we tap about 6,500 trees to produce more than 3,000 gallons of maple syrup.

Maple research at UVM began in the 1890s. The Proctor Maple Research Center was established in 1946, when Governor Mortimer Proctor donated the former Harvey Farm in Underhill to UVM, and has been at the forefront of maple science since.

Our research has enhanced knowledge of the sap flow mechanism, weather variables affecting sap yield, carbohydrate metabolism, sap biochemistry and microbiology, syrup chemistry, and wood anatomy and physiology, as well as sugar maple health in relation to various biotic and abiotic stresses such as nutrition and climate. We have recently joined MapleResearch.org, where you can search for our publications.

Facilities

Our property consists of approximately 200 acres of wooded and open land. More than 100 acres are sugarbush actively managed for maple syrup production and research.

In the Maple Production Research Facility, built in 2006, we conduct experiments on up to four evaporators simultaneously, each fed by a common sap source. With this set-up we have studied air injectors, pre-heaters, steam-away units, reverse osmosis, and other maple innovations.

The Sumner Hill Williams Sugarhouse was designed and built in 1993 by sugaring operations manager Sumner Williams, with the assistance of Proctor staff, volunteers, and numerous donations of materials and services. It now houses a Lapierre HyperBrix Reverse Osmosis machine and evaporator, which helped to double operational productivity in 2018.

The main laboratory building contains research facilities, offices, a kitchen, workshops, and a conference room for up to 75 people equipped for presentations and teaching. The conference room is available to UVM and other organizations for classroom teaching, meetings, and retreats.