ONmaplesyrup

Overview

Most regions have been back at it over the past week!

Golden to amber syrup is being made and dark to very dark in a few regions as well. Overall, there have been very few clarity or filtration issues. In the southwest, some producers have already made up to 70% of an average year’s crop.

As always, a big thanks to all those that participate in the survey!

Southwestern (2 – number of responses)

Sap flow has picked back up for these respondents with good flow (0.9-0.98 L/tap). Average sap Brix was 2.0-2.1. 60-70% of an average year’s crop has been made to date. Dark syrup is being made.

Grey-Bruce and District (5)

Sap flow has been moderate to very good (0.2-1.0 L/tap). Average sap Brix was 1.9-1.7. One producer has been dealing with high levels of sugar sand but overall, there have been minimal clarity and filtration issues. 10-56% of an average year’s crop has been made to date.

Waterloo-Wellington (4)

Sap flow has been good to strong for survey respondents in the region (up to 0.8 L/tap). Average sap Brix ranged from 1.6-2.4. 15-55% of an average year’s crop has been made to date.

Simcoe and District (7)

Sap flow has ranged from minimal to excellent (0.13-1.5 L/tap). Average sap Brix ranged from 2.0-3.0. 10-60% of an average year’s crop has been made to date. Dark to very dark syrup is being made.

Algoma (2)

One of the survey respondents has had moderate sap flow and started to make syrup.

Algonquin District (7)

Most respondents are tapped, and a few have had moderate runs this week. Average sap Brix was 2.3-2.8. Two producers have made 15 and 60% (smaller producer) of an average year’s crop but the majority have not boiled yet.

Haliburton-Kawartha (5)

All respondents are tapped and have had moderate to excellent sap flow (0.25-4 L/tap). Average sap Brix was 2.1-2.2. Those that have boiled have made light golden to amber syrup. 10-50% of an average year’s crop has been made.

Ottawa Valley District (4)

Only one respondent has tapped and had one day of moderate sap flow. Average sap Brix was 2.2 and they made amber syrup. The remainder of the survey respondents have not yet tapped but plan to soon.

Quinte and District (5)

All respondents are fully tapped and had moderate sap flow on and off over the past week. Average sap Brix ranged from 2-3.3. One producer had a lot of sugar sand, but the majority have not had any filtration or clarity issues. 5-40% of an average year’s crop has been made to date.

Lanark (7)

All survey respondents are fully tapped but sap flow has varied from minimal to good. No syrup has been made by these producers. Sap Brix ranged from 1.7-2.0.

Eastern (2)

Both survey respondents had smaller sap runs this week and produced golden to amber syrup. The average sap Brix ranged from 2.2-2.9. 2-12% of an average year’s crop has been made to date.

Overview

This may not come as a surprise but there is not much to report on this week! As predicted, the cold weather we’ve experienced over the past week has impacted the early runs of sap that producers took advantage of in previous weeks.

In nearly all regions, sap flow has slowed significantly or stopped all together. While a handful of producers still made some syrup, most of them used collected sap from a previous run.

With some warmer weather rolling in hopefully we will see things pick back up for the next report.

As always, a big thank you to survey respondents!

Southwestern (2 – number of responses)

Sap flow has slowed significantly (0.4-0.5 L/tap) compared to previous weeks. One producer has made dark syrup. 25-30% of an average year’s crop has been made by these producers.

Grey-Bruce and District (4)

Sap flow has slowed the past few days. One producer has made golden and amber syrup this past week. 4-20% of an average year’s crop has been made by respondents.

Waterloo-Wellington (2)

High levels of sugar sand were reported by one of the survey respondents. Sap flow has slowed and stopped. Up to 25% of an average year’s crop has been made.

Simcoe and District (5)

Some syrup has been made in this region over the past week using sap from a previous run. The colour of syrup ranged from amber to dark. Brix has been 2.0-2.9.

Algoma (4)

Most respondents are tapped but no sap has been collected.

Algonquin District (12)

Most respondents are tapped but sap flow has been minimal. Average sap Brix has been 2.7-3.0. Amber syrup has been made by a few producers.

Haliburton-Kawartha (5)

Most respondents are tapped but have not boiled. Sap flow has slowed, 0.05-0.27 L/tap.

Ottawa Valley District (4)

All reports received from this region indicate that producers have not tapped yet.

Quinte and District (3)

A mix of tapped and untapped. No syrup has been made yet.

Lanark (3)

Tapped but no sap has been collected by these survey respondents.

Eastern (4)

Most of the respondents have not collected any sap yet. One producer has made 10% of an average year’s crop.

Overview

Tapped, but how’s the flow?

“Early, but strong” seems to be a reoccurring comment that I’ve heard from producers in regions that are already making syrup.

Overall, most regions have been tapped since last week with more jumping on the bandwagon this week. With unseasonably warm weather over the weekend, the early and good sap flows that producers experienced last week has slowed and, in some cases, stopped all together. Similarly, the colder weather we’re having right now has slowed production in a few regions. Overall, there have been minimal clarity or filtration issues, but some producers noted higher than average sugar sand levels. Golden to amber syrup is being made.

As always, big thanks to those that completed the survey! I’ve heard from a few people this week that they love reading the survey results and hearing about what’s going on in the province 🙂

Southwestern (6 – number of responses)

Sap has been flowing well (0.25-0.65 L/tap) up until the unseasonably warm weather this past weekend. Average sap Brix has been 2.0-2.1 with minimal filtration or clarity issues in most cases. Others have experienced high levels of sugar sand compared to previous years. 10-40% of an average year’s crop has been made by survey respondents.

Grey-Bruce and District (9)

All respondents are tapped and boiling with good sap flow (0.25-0.5 L/tap). Sap Brix between 2.1-2.4, which has been described as higher than usual for these producers. There have also been reports of high amounts of sugar sand. Producers have made 5-30% of an average year’s crop.

Waterloo-Wellington (2)

Both respondents this week are tapped and making amber syrup. No filtration issues and about 35% of an average year’s crop. 0.55 L/tap on average. No clarity or filtration issues.

Simcoe and District (8)

The majority are fully tapped, and a few are boiling syrup. Sap Brix 1.8-2.0. Some producers have minimal filtration issues, while others are having difficulties filtering the high sugar sand content. Those that have been boiling have already made 20-40% of an average year’s crop.

Algoma and District (5)

Some have finished tapping, others are still waiting a few weeks. 2.0 average sap Brix. No clarity or filtration issues. 10% of average year’s crop.

Algonquin and District (7)

A mix of tapped and untapped. A few have boiled over the last week, but flows have stopped with the colder weather that has rolled in.  

Haliburton-Kawartha (12)

A mix of tapped and untapped. Sap has been running well (0.9-0.11 L/tap) but has slowed down for some producers due to the colder temperatures this week. Sap Brix 1.5-3.0. More sugar sand than usual being reported but overall minimal filtration and clarity issues. 5-30% of an average year’s crop has been made.

Ottawa Valley (5)

A few have tapped but no syrup has been made by survey respondents.

Quinte and District (4)

A few have tapped and experienced a heavy flow of sap over the weekend. A few producers have boiled golden to amber syrup.

Lanark and District (4)

A few have tapped or are well on their way. Others holding out for a week or two. Those that have tapped have had a very limited flow. None of the respondents have boiled yet.

Eastern (3)

Many producers are tapped and a few have started boiling. Reported Brix was 2.0 with moderate sap flow. 10% of an average year’s crop has been made by a respondent in the area.

Sap Flow Overview

So, who’s tapping? This is the biggest question I’ve been getting over the past two weeks and will be the focus of this week’s report.

A few regions are fully tapped or well on their way. Boiling has started in a few regions as well. Others are holding off. Survey results specific to your region can be found below.

Not sure if you should tap yet? Check out this awesome post Jenny made last year that goes into depth on the factors to consider when deciding on early tapping.

I’ve also changed up the survey a bit for next week to suit the time of year that we’re in, so stay tuned for that on Monday morning. I’d love to hear about where you’re at this season 🙂

A big thank you to everyone who contributed so far!

Southwestern (2 – number of survey responses)

Most producers in the southwest are tapped and boiling amber and golden syrup. Brix ranged from 1.8-2. Producers have made 5-15% of the year’s crop with 0.15-0.5 L per tap.

Waterloo Wellington (5)

A few producers finished tapping earlier this week and have had moderate sap flow since then. Others have not started yet or are planning to start tapping later this week and into the weekend.

Grey-Bruce (8)

All eight of the survey respondents have finished tapping this week, some started the week of January 29^th, 2-3 weeks earlier than in previous years. Some have already started collecting and boiling with an average Brix of 2.1-2.8. Others have collected sap, but not enough to warrant a boil.

Simcoe and District (7)

Most of the survey respondents in this region have completed tapping and a few are currently collecting sap – commenting on how this is the earliest they have ever boiled. Brix ranged from 3.0-3.2. Golden and amber syrup is being made. Producers have made about 5% of the current year’s crop.

Haliburton-Kawartha (10)

There was an even split of survey responses from this region. Some have tapped and are boiling since last week (Jan 29^th) while others are holding off. Brix ranged from 1.8-1.9. Golden and amber syrup is being made. Some producers are tapped and are using early runs to clear their lines.  

Lanark and District (5)

Of the 5 survey responses received, none have started tapping yet.

Eastern (5)

Many producers have begun tapping. There have been reports that the majority of mid to large scale producers are fully tapped. Others planning on starting this week.

Quinte and District (3)

All reports received from this region indicate that producers are waiting.

Ottawa Valley (6)

All reports received from this region indicate that producers are waiting.

Algonquin and District (5)

All reports received from this region indicate that producers are waiting.

Algoma and District (2)

All reports received from this region indicate that producers are waiting.

Hi everyone!

My name is Sophie Krolikowski, and I am the acting Maple, Tree Nut, and Agroforestry Specialist for the next year while Jenny Liu is on leave.

Adapted from article submitted to the Maple Digest in May 2023.

Sap Flow Summary

The 2023 maple season was another in a long line of years that have been record-breaking in some strange capacity due to climate change. Winter was a mixture of warm weather punctuated by severe snowstorms.

On the heels of this unpredictable winter, spring came early and unwelcome to Southern Ontario in the latter half of January. This left producers of all sizes scrambling to put their taps in, as sap doesn’t usually start flowing in the warmest areas until around February 15^th. A few large producers and prescient mid-size producers who were tapped early had their first boils by the third week of January. Prolonged stretches of fairly ideal maple weather meant that this was an extra-long season for those in the South, and by the end of March many producers had experienced yet another record-setting crop.

FROM THE CFIA: Oak wilt has been found in a residential area in Niagara Falls, Ontario. This is the first confirmed detection of oak wilt in Canada. To help prevent the spread of this detection, movement restrictions are in place on affected properties. We are working with other federal, provincial and municipal governments to survey the area and determine next steps.

What is oak wilt?

Oak wilt is a serious disease pest of oak trees and is caused by the fungus Bretziella fagacearum. It is an invasive disease of unknown origin, and it grows on the outer sapwood of all oak trees.

Sap Flow Overview

The 2023 maple season is finally over all across Ontario. Reports coming in have confirmed that folks in colder areas had below-average seasons, with some from Algoma and the northern Algonquin region making as little as 50% of an average year’s crop. Producers in the latest-producing regions are busy cleaning up.

Sap Flow Overview

As of this report, the maple season has come to an end for everyone but some folks in Ottawa Valley and Algoma region. Most folks were done by mid-week last week, and some were able to hold out until the end. The prolonged and unusual hot weather melted significant snowpacks and caused both hard and soft maple across the province to bud out.