Weather causing concern for maple syrup production

Maple farmers across Michiana are crossing their fingers.

Warm temperatures continue to show up in the forecast causing a situation for syrup producers that’s a little too sticky.

If temperatures stay warm during the day and don’t fall below freezing at night, maple syrup production in this area will take a big hit.

“If it stays warm for multiple days in a row at night and during the day and the temperature never drops below freezing that will stop the tree from having the sap flow because what happens is with the fluctuation in the temperatures it causes pressure changes within the tree which causes the sap to flow within the tree,” said Leslie Witkowski, Interpretive Service Manager St. Joseph County Parks.

The next time you use syrup for your pancakes don’t take it for granted.

This month’s warm weather pattern is affecting syrup production all across Michiana.

ABC 57 spoke to syrup experts on Monday who say all this warmth could swell the buds on maple trees and end syrup’s production season earlier than any producer wants.

The ideal climate is a mixture of above freezing temperatures during the day and below freezing at night.

So while you and I may be in favor of these unseasonably warm temperatures, syrup producers are not.

“It could shorten the season as soon as the buds start swelling, the chemistry of the trees start changing you gets the swelling buds or the growing buds start producing hormones that change the chemistry of the stem, and that changes the flavor of the syrup,” said Victor Riemenschneider, a park volunteer.

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