![]() ![]() According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), that range is projected to only include Minnesota to Michigan and Pennsylvania to Maine by 2071. It ranges from Minnesota to Maine, down to Missouri and back up to Minnesota. The current natural distribution for sugar maples in the United States is limited to the northeast quarter of the country. Warming temperatures and shorter snow cover is causing the southern part of the sugar maple’s natural habitat to shrink. This means the length of snow cover season has shortened by the same amount. The date of the start of snow cover has not changed much in that time. The date is occurring around a month earlier than it did in 1972. They also show that the end of snow cover in the United States is trending earlier. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the amount of North America that has snow has declined nearly 500,000 square miles since 1970 and is continuing to decrease. Warmer springs mean an earlier melt and a greater risk of this occurring. Without the protective insulation of snow, maple tree’s roots can freeze and be killed on a cold day. Without the freezing temperatures required to make this process occur, sap doesn’t run and cannot be collected. The daily cycle of freezing and thawing is responsible for the maple tree’s ability to create the pressure needed to draw sap from the roots to the crown. This event is crucial to maple trees which require a frost cycle in order to produce sap. With earlier warming, the last frost of the year is happening in March instead of April according to NOAA. This change averages around 2 days less than 67 years ago.Įarlier seasons mean earlier warming. The total number of “ideal” sugaring days has also seen a decrease. Since each month is getting progressively warmer, the season starts and ends earlier each year. According to a study done by NOAA in Burlington, VT, maple season temperature trends have been on a constant upward trend since 1904. In addition to these higher temperatures, the dates of the season are also changing. They expect the largest changes to occur across northern Wisconsin. ![]() Based on this study, they predict that spring temperatures will increase by 3 to 9 degrees by the mid-21st century. ![]() There have been increases of 2.5-3.5 degrees across the northwestern part of the state. What does this mean for your maple syrup? It means that supplies may dwindle, flavors will change, and the maple sugaring season will be transformed from the process we know today.Īccording to Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI), spring temperatures have increased by 1.7 degrees since 1950. With increased temperatures nation-wide as well as shorter winters and changing snowfall patterns, this habitat is shrinking and changing. These trees are well adapted to the cold winters and short summers of the region and thrive in this environment. Sugar maple trees, the source of the pure maple syrup you enjoy in your home, are naturally occurring in the most northern parts of North America. However, even if you are out of the path of rising waters and raging storms, climate change might still be affecting your home in a smaller way your dining table. It is easy to see how severe weather might effect your home and your lifestyle. Hurricanes, heat waves, drought, wildfires, flooding: the effects of climate change are often severe and very apparent. ![]()
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