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- [Mark] This is Mark Isselhart,

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maple specialist with the
University of Vermont Extension,

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and this is another
"Vermont Maple Minute."

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The 2021 Vermont maple
season has come to an end.

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The official crop totals
will not be released

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by the USDA until sometime in June.

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Reports from sugar makers
around the state describe

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a tough season for production.

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Many producers reported
seeing lower than average

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sap sweetness this season,

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which contributed to
reduced syrup production.

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Early estimates put the
Vermont crop somewhere

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between two-thirds and three-quarters

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of the anticipated total.

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Sugar makers who were still collecting

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over the last week of March
benefited from cooler weather

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or even freezing nights.

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As a result, many sugar
makers were pleased

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to see the sap sweetness tick upward

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in addition to better rates of sap flow.

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Seeing the sap sweetness
increase after a freezing event

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is related to the conversion
of a tree's stored starch

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to soluble sugar.

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Some trees and some sugar bushes

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have sweeter sap than others.

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And what is average for one operation,

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maybe below average for another.

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Careful forest management can play a role

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in growing healthy trees

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that maximize the production
of sugar in summer.

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Off flavors have already
begun to be detected

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in the first in of April

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as temperatures rise and sap
becomes harder to keep fresh.

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This is Mark Isselhart,

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maple specialist with the
University of Vermont Extension,

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and this has been another
"Vermont Maple Minute."