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- [Mark] This is Mark
Isselhardt, Maple Specialist,

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with the University of Vermont Extension,

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and this is another Vermont Maple Minute.

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The sugaring season has
been over for a while.

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Maple trees ended their
annual period of dormancy

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when their winter buds broke,
allowing new leaves to emerge.

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These lush green leaves
are now working to produce

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all the energy needed for
the tree to grow and survive.

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Photosynthesis is the complex
series of chemical reactions

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that combine water, carbon
dioxide, and sunlight

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to produce energy in the form of glucose.

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The maple tree, like all green plants,

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produces this sugar to
satisfy its immediate needs,

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such as feeding living cells and growth,

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but also to store for future
needs, such as winter dormancy,

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seed production, and defense from disease.

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Trees convert the sugar to
starch for long term storage,

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with the help of enzymes, and
convert it back when needed.

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A portion of this same energy

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is what sugar makers
collect in sap every year.

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When growing conditions are favorable,

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maples will produce an
abundance of stored energy,

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and likewise, those stores can be reduced

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when trees don't have adequate water

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or have limited exposure to sunlight.

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Most years, maple trees
in Vermont are healthy,

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but when one or more stresses
impact an individual,

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die back and decline can occur.