How climate change is affecting maple syrup

Maine Public Broadcasting -On a spring day so cold the sap froze in the few old-fashioned buckets that Mark Cooper of Coopers Maple Products still uses, the Windham maple producer talked about the changes he has noticed over the 31 years he’s been in business. The season used to start in late February and run through early April. “It was pretty consistent,” he said. Not anymore. These days, it’s not uncommon for him to make maple syrup in January or to have balmy 65 degree February days followed by huge snow storms and frigid temperatures in March. He’s noticing his maple trees have struggled some, with fungal diseases or branches on otherwise healthy trees that drop to the ground for no reason he can ascertain. Red maples are moving in and sugar maples are losing ground, he’s noticed. Big wind and snow storms also have taken a toll on the trees. And even when the sap is running, there’s just not as big a flow as there used to be. “We certainly have seen a change, and not for the better,” Cooper said.