UMaine Extension publications offer advice for maple syrup season

Maine Maple Sunday is not until March 26, but the sap is already flowing in some parts of the state according to Kathy Hopkins, a maple syrup expert with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

A typical season for maple producers is usually a cold January and February, with trees being tapped in mid-to-late February or early March depending on where in the state a sugarbush is located, according to Hopkins.

After the tapping, the nighttime freezing and daytime thawing of the trees produces a sap flow that can be boiled down into maple syrup. Daytime temperatures from 40–45 degrees Fahrenheit and nighttime temperatures in the mid-20s produce the best syrup, she says.

“These days, with the weather so capricious, the maple season can begin anytime between January and late March,” Hopkins says. “Last year, producers started in March and made syrup into late April since the conditions were perfect for a long stretch of time.”

UMaine Extension offers several syrup-related publications and videos through its publications catalog, including: