Sweet or sticky? How weather can make or break maple syrup season
Warm weather threatens Ontario's maple syrup harvest, but farmers stay hopeful.
Maple syrup carries a distinct Canadian aroma, with Ontario's maple farmers tapping trees each spring to produce the golden delicacy enjoyed around the world.
However, a maple syrup's seasonal success is entirely reliant on one factor: weather. John Williams, owner of Williams Farm, knows this all too well.
"Weather is our biggest single factor in driving production," said Williams. "The ideal for us is freezing at night—minus 3 or minus 5 degrees—and then up to plus 5, plus 6, or plus 7 [degrees Celsius] the next day. Single-digit temperatures—that's perfect for us."
Ontario has over 400 maple farms, which make up about 5 per cent of Canada's total maple syrup production. Every year, farmers in Ontario alone produce over 3 million kg of syrup.
To get there, they use a network of plastic tubing that functions like veins, transporting sap from trees to processing vats. However, if the weather fails to cooperate, the entire season could be jeopardized.
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This year started off well for Williams and other Ontario maple farmers. A snowy winter raised hopes of a good harvest. Tapping was completed in late February, with production beginning in early March.
However, only a few weeks into the season, an unexpected warm period with double-digit temperatures disrupted production.
"We were very hopeful going into the season because we had so much snow," said Williams. "We started out pretty well, more like a traditional timing for us—but after about three or four boils, suddenly we're starting to get these double-digit temperatures."
Warm weather early in the season may cause sap flow to stall or stop completely. As when temperatures rise too high, trees begin to blossom, changing the substance of the sap and leaving it unsuitable for syrup production.
Regardless of the setbacks, Williams remains optimistic. A return to more usual spring weather may delay the harvest and result in a high yield.
"We do have some colder weather coming in," he said. "So it looks a little more seasonal where we're going to have freeze-ups at night, and it'll be 6 or 7 degrees during the day."
"If we can get back to that before too much of the season advances, then we're hopeful we can just keep going and get a nice full crop out of it," added Williams.
For the time being, Ontario's maple syrup farmers are anxiously following the weather, hoping for a return to the ideal freeze-thaw cycle.
With a little help from the weather, they might be able to enjoy another successful and beautiful season.
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With files from Fredrick Reyes, a journalist at The Weather Network. Header image courtesy of creighton359 via Getty Images.