Recently, you may have noticed metal buckets protruding from tree trunks or thin plastic tubes connecting trees — signs of maple syrup season. Maine has a rich history of maple syrup production, beginning with the indigenous peoples who first discovered the sweet sap. Today, the tradition continues, preserving a time-honored practice deeply rooted in the state’s heritage and fostering community among its practitioners.

Maple syrup is made by boiling the sap of the sugar maple tree. These native trees have a much higher sugar content in their sap than most. They collect starches in their roots during the preceding growing season and, as spring approaches, convert the starch into sugar. Sap transports these sugars and other essential nutrients from the roots to the leaves and branches. It plays a crucial role in the tree’s physiological processes, especially during the spring when it is gearing up for new growth, budding, and leafing. Sap is also the only ingredient in maple syrup.

Production occurs in late winter/early spring when freezing nights contrast with warmer days.Temperature fluctuations trigger a biological response in the tree, causing the sap to flow upward. When the sap flows, people carefully tap the sugar maple trees, placing small spouts in drilled holes to transport the dripping sap into buckets or a network of tubing. Once collected, the sap undergoes a boiling process, where the water evaporates, leaving behind the concentrated syrup. It takes around 40 gallons of sap to produce a single gallon of syrup.

The laborious process fosters a strong sense of community; people come together to share the burden and reap the rewards. At my family farm, friends, family, and coworkers gather on boiling day, bringing drinks and food to share. We spend the day tromping through the snow to empty sap buckets and huddling in the warm sugar shack beside the boiling pans, inhaling the sweet scent of boiling sap. When the clear sap finally transforms into the amber ambrosia, we gather snow to create maple candy. Pouring boiling syrup over snow produces a hardened, sticky candy. A fitting reward after an exhausting day.

If your interest is piqued, you can find sugar maples in many forests in Maine. Sign up one of the many walks hosted by the Scarborough Land Trust at https://scarboroughlandtrust.org/events, to learn more about sugar maples and our forests. You can also attend Maple Syrup Sunday weekend; an annual event where small producers open their sugarhouses to the public. This year it takes plalce March 23 and 24. To find a list of participating sugar houses, go to https://mainemapleproducers.com/events/maine-maple-weekend/#!directory/map

The Scarborough Land Trust indirectly supports Maine’s maple syrup tradition by maintaining healthy forests that act as carbon sinks, absorbing and storing carbon dioxide. Sugar Maple trees evolved to live in colder climates, and their sap production relies on long, frigid winters followed by slow springs. As the climate warms, the trees will struggle to survive in their historic range, and Mainers will face the demise of our cherished tradition. By preserving land, we are fighting climate change. Join us and fight for the survival of sugar maple trees by donating your property to the Scarborough Land Trust or supporting the conservation of land around Scarborough.

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