Proctor Maple Research Center Update
Dr. Tim Perkins, Director of UVM’s Proctor Maple Research Center, shares a review of the past year at PMRC and a collection of recent findings on topics related to sap and syrup production.
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Resilient Businesses: Adapting to Change
Maple producers and sellers are adjusting many aspects of their businesses to adapt to the shifting environment of the national pandemic. During this session Mark Cannella, UVM Extension, shares successes and considerations from shifting operations, marketing, and financial approaches to remain viable. Canella is joined by Jenna and Jacob from Baird Farm to share some of their perspectives.
Online Advertising Tools & Takeaways
Advertising your business online can often seem overwhelming if you don’t know where to start and what you’re trying to accomplish. Zac Smith, UVM Extension, and Mike Lannen, Eternity Marketing, show you how to set tangible goals, start small, and expand your online advertising with a variety of tools.
Forestry & Sugarbush Management
Mark Isselhardt, UVM Extension’s Maple Specialist, shares results from a recent survey of professional foresters that includes approaches and challenges to successful sugarbush management.
Designing & Installing a Maple Tubing System
Adam Wild, the director of Cornell University’s Uihlein Maple Research Forest located in Lake Placid, NY, shares information about basic tubing design and installation for both gravity and vacuum systems.
[Research on] Early Tapping & Taphole Longevity Strategies
Dr. Abby van den Berg, Research Associate Professor with UVM’s Department of Plant Biology and Proctor Maple Research Center, shares the results of a multi-year experiment conducted by the University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research Center to determine the net yields and impacts of fall and early-winter tapping, with and without subsequent “freshening” of the tapholes by re-drilling them wider and/or deeper.
Maximizing Maple Sap Yields
How to collect the most sap possible using efficient techniques.
Increasing Syrup Production by Re-tapping During the Sap Season
Work done at the Uihlein Maple Research Forest in Lake Placid during the 2018 and 2019 maple syrup season looked at timing of tapping to best capture the most amount of sap. During this study it was found that trees tapped in late March did not yield as much syrup since they missed early sap runs. Trees tapped in January were able to capture early season sap runs but yield diminished slightly near the end of the season due to microbial plugging.
Drought Stress and Water Availability for Maple Sap Production: A Correction
Sap flow and stem pressure in sugar maples during winter dormancy depend on the expansion and contraction of gas bubbles. These gas bubbles are primarily located in the libriform fibers of wood tissues, not in the xylem vessels. Though there are gas bubbles (embolisms) in the xylem vessels, these bubbles are not the dominant drivers of stem pressurization.
Pandemic Prompts New Ways to Market Maple
Maple farmers experienced a difficult transition when the COVID-19 outbreak in North America resulted in the shutting down of sugarhouses to the public, particularly during some of the most crucial weekends for in-person maple sales. Sugarmakers had to quickly pivot in order to make up for lost sales in the sugarhouse as well as from wholesale restaurant and school accounts. This shift brought about some creative thinking and innovative solutions to reach customers and promote maple products. Some successful marketing, sales and agritourism strategies have not only helped producers recover lost sales, but have permanently enhanced their future sales approach and marketing plans.