Ellsworth American quotes Hopkins in article on maple industry, climate change
The Ellsworth American cited Kathy Hopkins, a maple syrup expert with University of Maine Cooperative Extension, in an article about the maple industry and climate change. Hopkins spoke on the topic at Schoodic Institute on March 21, according to the article. The calendar no longer accurately predicts the best time to start tapping trees, and while the maple industry will survive, people will have to adapt to climate change, Hopkins said. “You can’t look at any one piece of analysis and conclude the sky is falling. You can’t take any one piece as a prediction for everything,” Hopkins said. Some studies indicate that maple trees will continue to grow in the same areas, but may not be as healthy — removing snow from around the bases of maple trees caused root damage and reduced growth in one study. “They don’t recover,” said Hopkins. Warmer climates also would facilitate the growth and spread of fungal diseases, and make leaf-devouring insects more likely to survive the winter. Trees would be more likely to experience stress as a result of drought, frost, injuries from ice and increases in human population and development, the article states. To maximize sap yields and keep trees healthy, Hopkins recommended using organic practices and keeping the sugar brush area as diverse as possible by planting multiple varieties. She also advised growers to be open to new technology that could provide solutions for adaptation. “There’s a lot of unknowns, but we will still have an industry,” Hopkins said.