Cold temperatures across New York aren’t just forcing people to bundle up; they’re also playing a critical role in one of the state’s sweetest industries.
New York is home to more than 2,000 dedicated maple sugar makers who rely on a delicate balance of freezing nights and mild days to get sap flowing. But when winter temperatures swing too far in either direction, it can have a major impact on the season.
The state is the second-largest producer of maple syrup in the country, and the season typically runs from late February through early April. All across New York, producers are starting to tap hundreds of thousands of trees.
Randy Grippin, owner of Mountain Winds Farm in upstate New York, operates nearly 30 miles of sap lines. He says the science of maple syrup production is simple but precise. Nighttime temperatures need to dip below freezing while daytime highs climb into the 40s.
“If we could have 8-10 weeks of 40 degrees in the afternoon and 20 degrees at night, then you have a great maple season,” Grippin said.
But Grippin says climate variability is making the timing of the season increasingly unpredictable. An early warm spell, he warned, can cut the season short before it ever gets started.
“If we get to, like we’ve had in the last few years, where all of a sudden in another week or two, it decides to be 60-70 degrees for four to five days in a row, you have the potential of the trees budding and then the season is over already,” he said.
Extended cold stretches, like those seen across the state recently, can actually be beneficial, keeping trees dormant longer and giving them more time to recover before the sap begins to flow.
Still, Grippin says there are no guarantees.
“You have no idea. We always expect a good season, but again, that’s up to the weather gods,” he said.