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The 2025 maple season kicked off in warmer parts of New York last week, with thawing temperatures expected to speed things up across the state this week.
Adam Wild
Director, Uihlein Maple Research Forest
Adam Wild, director of Cornell University’s Uihlein Maple Research Forest and co-director of the Cornell Maple Program, says that while this year's "old-fashioned winter" has been beneficial for the season, new tariffs on Canadian products could hurt producers and consumers.
On the 2025 maple season, Wild says:
“This winter has been consistently cold with little to no thaws since the first of January, leading to a more traditional maple season reminiscent of 50-plus years ago, when the season didn’t start until March. This marks a departure from recent years, which saw significant sap flow events in January and February.
“The cold weather and deep snow pack is good for the maple trees. In areas with deep snow pack, the ground has been well-insulated and is not frozen. This will improve sap flow, as frozen soil limits water uptake by the maple roots, water that becomes part of the maple sap.
“However, a concern is that when we do thaw out, it could warm up too fast which would make a quick end to the season and a short maple season with limited amounts of sap flow. Hopefully we will see a gradual thaw out of winter with great sap flow weather.”
On Canadian tariffs, Wild says:
“A large amount of maple equipment is produced within Quebec. Tariffs placed on this equipment would significantly increase the costs of maple syrup production by producers. Maple equipment has already seen dramatic price increases within the past 5 years without the price of syrup increasing at the same rate. Because of this, the ability to be profitable within the maple industry has been increasingly challenging.
“Maple syrup is a gourmet product and if the price to consumers increases too much, we will most likely see price elasticity with consumers walking away from it to seek out cheaper alternative products that are potentially less healthy.
“The U.S. does not produce enough maple syrup to keep up with current demand. A consistent supply of syrup out of Canada helps to supplement maple syrup to consumers across the country.”
