Hopkins, syrup study cited in Morning Sentinel article on Big Six conservation deal
Kathy Hopkins, a maple syrup expert with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, was quoted in the Morning Sentinel article, “In Big Six conservation deal, one-quarter of Maine maple syrup output at stake.” The Big Six Forest, a 23,600-acre spread along the northern border separating Somerset County and Canada, churns out between 25 and 30 percent of Maine’s maple syrup, according to the article. The future of Big Six’s maple syrup producers is uncertain as a years-long attempt to save the forest runs up against its private landowner’s 2018 deadline to either secure roughly $5.7 million in conservation easement funds to help pay down his mortgage, or start cutting Big Six’s maples, the article states. Losing that maple production could have a damaging effect on the state’s growing maple industry, said Hopkins, who added that neither she nor UMaine Extension has a position on the Big Six conservation deal. “I think the thing that Mainers need to remember is that (the industry) is growing every year and gaining in popularity with the public every year,” Hopkins said. “You can’t continue your growth if you cut out 25 percent of your output.” The article also cited a 2014 study by UMaine economist Todd Gabe that found the industry directly contributes $27.7 million in output, 567 full-time jobs and $17.3 million in labor income to Maine’s economy each year.