Maple in the News

Maple in the News

someone pouring maple syrup from a small ceramic container onto pancakes

The Only Way to Store Maple Syrup, According to an Expert

‘It’s the future of sugar’: new technology feeds Vermont maple syrup boom amid climate crisis

Who has the Best Creemee in Vermont? Locals Share 6 Favorites

‘It’s the future of sugar’: new technology feeds Vermont maple syrup boom amid climate crisis

Despite El Nino influence maple syrup production jumps

Growing Pains: How Warmer, Wetter, Wilder Weather Is Compelling Vermont Farmers to Adapt

More Maple News

03/22/2024

Vermont, Maine Maple Syrup Producers Adjust As Winter Warms

M​aple syrup production, a craft in some cases handed down for generations, is changing as winters become warmer and temperature extremes wider. Read more at The Weather Channel's...

maple syrup pouring into a vat

03/18/2024

Gov. Phil Scott Kicks Off Maple Season at Buck Family Maple Farm

The USDA announced that Vermont is once again the number one maple syrup producer in the country. Read more at NBC5's website...

A red maple leaf on a dark wood deck

03/07/2024

The Outside Story Maple Sugaring Adapts to a Changing Climate

Boiling maple sap into syrup is a time honored tradition in the Northeast, to the olfactory delight of anyone who has spent time in a steamy sugarhouse while inhaling the sweet maple scent of the season. It used to be that trees were tapped in late March, and evaporators in sugar houses fired up...

maple collection vats with tubing running into them

03/01/2024

University of Vermont maple specialist discusses impact of climate change on the industry

Climate change is impacting the maple industry and University of Vermont Extension Maple Specialist Mark Isselhardt tells WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley producers are trying to adapt to the changes. Read more...

dilapidated shack with words painted on it: maple syrup a family tradition

02/22/2024

If you’ve seen one sugaring season, you’ve seen one sugaring season

There is a maxim among maple sugarers that Mark Isselhardt cites whenever he’s asked about the status of sugaring season each year. “There’s an old saying in sugaring: ‘If you’ve seen one sugaring season, you’ve seen one sugaring season.’ There is some real truth to that,” Isselhardt,...

inside a sugarhouse, split wood on the left, evaporator on the right

02/18/2024

WCAX's "You Can Quote Me"

This Week on “You Can Quote Me,” Guest Mark Isselhardt talks about how climate change is impacting the state’s maple industry. Read more at WCAX.com...

Mark Isselhardt

02/13/2024

How Climate Change is Impacting the Maple Syrup Industry

In the depths of winter, sugar on snow is a yearly treat many Vermonters eagerly anticipate. But with winters warming and snow barely on the ground in some parts of the state, climate change presents a host of challenges for Vermont’s iconic maple industry. Loss of suitable growing...

Composite image with three panels. Left panel has a black and white photo of an old sled being pulled by a horse; a headshot of Mark Isselhardt is in the center; and on the right is a photo of blue tubing for maple sap collection on trees.

03/07/2022

Vermont Governor's Tree Tapping Celebrates 75th Anniversary of the Proctor Maple Research Center

The University of Vermont's Proctor Maple Research Center (PMRC) today marked the start of its 75th sugaring season by hosting Vermont Governor Phil Scott to tap the unofficial "first" maple tree at its facility along the western slope of Mt. Mansfield. As the sap flows around the state, the...

Governor Phil Scott prepares looks at maple tree

06/28/2019

Vermont Maplerama to be held July 18-20

Essex Junction--The Chittenden County Maple Sugarmakers' Association will host Vermont Maplerama 2019, an event that annually brings more than 200 producers from several states and Canadian provinces to Vermont for tours, industry updates and a chance to discuss concerns and successes with...

Small glass bottles of maple syrup lined up in window with sun shining through

02/20/2019

Extension Ag Business Clinics Provide One-on-One Assistance

Burlington--University of Vermont (UVM) Extension farm business experts are available to provide individual financial guidance for any Vermont farm, forest or maple business. Appointments may be scheduled from now through late April at one of eight UVM Extension offices around the state....

12/14/2018

Vermont Maple Conferences Slated for January

Burlington--Maple producers will learn how to improve their sugarbush, increase production and market their product more effectively at the 2019 Vermont Maple Conference in January. The all-day conference will be offered on Jan. 19 at the School for International Training Graduate...

Hands pouring small vial of syrup for testing

05/30/2018

Helping Maple Make the Grade

Pure maple syrup is a special, high-value sweetener that derives much of its worth from its unique flavor. Though consumers rarely taste sub-par maple, damaged or “off-flavor” syrup can and does occur. When syrup does not meet legal standards for sale, its value drops 50 percent. It is up to the...

Maple off-flavors

12/21/2017

Vermont Maple Conferences Planned for Two Locations

Burlington--Vermont's maple producers will have an opportunity to hear the latest from industry and university maple experts on maple production, marketing and business management, sugarbush health and climate and maple regulations at the 2018 Vermont Maple Conference, planned for two locations...

07/05/2017

Caterpillars Are Wreaking Havoc on Maples Again

Forest tent caterpillars hatched in May and are defoliating sugar maple stands. Mark Isselhardt, UVM Extension maple specialist, provides an update on this insect pest....

06/20/2017

Lamoille County Sugar Makers To Host Vermont Maplerama

Hyde Park--Vermont Maplerama 2017, with headquarters at the VFW Hall in Hyde Park, will feature a number of tours to area maple operations, a trade show and a maple syrup and products competition. More than 150 maple producers from throughout the Northeast and Canada are expected to attend the...

Davis Family Farm

12/20/2016

Annual Maple Conferences on Tap for January

Burlington--Maple industry experts will share the latest information on sugarbush management and health, syrup production, quality control, marketing and maple research with producers at the annual Vermont Maple Conferences in January.  University of Vermont (UVM) Extension and the...

maple sap dripping from tap

06/06/2016

Study Looks at Adaptability of Maple Producers to Climate Change

Burlington--Climate change may impact the future health of sugarbushes, timing of sap flow and forest regeneration, all factors critical to maple production. Producers who depend on sugaring as a source of income may need to make significant changes in their operations to adapt to changing...

Maple Tap with Sap

01/15/2016

UVM Extension Hires New Maple Specialist

Underhill Center--Mark Isselhardt has accepted the position of University of Vermont (UVM) Extension maple specialist. He will be based at the UVM Proctor Maple Research Center in Underhill Center, where he has been employed for the past 12 years, first as a maple research technician and...

mark isselhardt