Hopkins speaks with BDN about start of Maine maple season

Kathy Hopkins, a maple syrup expert with University of Maine Cooperative Extension, spoke with the Bangor Daily News for an article about the start of Maine’s maple season. Traditionally, Maine maple season starts with a cold January and February, and producers tap their trees in mid-to-late February or early March, depending on where the sugar bush is located, according to the article. Sap flows best when trees freeze at night and thaw during the day, Hopkins said, adding that these days syrup producers do best when they take their cues from the current conditions instead of the traditional calendar. “Every maple season is kind of weird, in a way, because you’re waiting on the weather,” she said. “You can’t plan precisely when you make your syrup. You have to make your maple syrup when Mother Nature says you can, so maple producers are used to being flexible. And I think this winter is going to require excessive flexibility.” Hopkins also spoke with Mainebiz for an article about maple syrup season. Maine Public carried the BDN article.