All Tapped Out
Maple Syrup Time In Pennsylvania
Originally uploaded by Crikit (Lori G). I grew up on Maple Syrup. This is just heartbreaking news for the industry, the maple producing States and for those of us who love maple syrup.
...It is not a question of if the sugar maple will disappear, it is a question of when. Such shifts of species have taken place gradually in the past, over hundreds of years, allowing adaptation, but not in this case. Already, according to research from ecologist Brian Beckage of UVM, tree species have shifted more than 90 meters up the slopes of the Green Mountains since 1964 in search of cooler climes.
The cost will be tremendous if these predictions hold true. Maple syrup production in the Northeast, a $65 million a year industry, will cease to exist and with it a critical financial lifeline for small family farmers in the region. Already, according to preliminary data from one of Rock's graduate students, the sap from northeastern maples is getting less sweet. - The Daily Climate
Labels: Climate Change, Maple Syrup
