The ideal temperatures for producing maple syrup is above freezing during the day and below during the night, but the consistency is not there yet in 2024.
In theory the milder days in February offer the chance to tap trees sooner and end the season with a bigger harvest, but the unpredictability of the weather is what throws a wrench in things, says Ontario Maple Syrup Producers’ Association executive Director John Williams.
Producers used to be able to rely on cooler weather through February before you could reliably tap trees in early spring but Williams says the season seems to begin and end earlier with each passing year.
Williams told myFM that medium and large scale producers especially have to adjust to the times in order to get the most out of the season.
There’s also vacuums you can place on tubing lines to thin out the yield, which is another example Williams provided as a way technology is advancing to meet the stop-start production seasons we see today.
The above freezing temperatures during the day coupled with below freezing nights are what producers dream of and they hope it stays that way.
Williams says that was generally the case across the province a year ago.
He also says that start and stop production seasons are more common now than ever before, and the best way to approach the year ahead is to be as prepared as possible.
Written by: G. Deme
