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MAPLE SYRUP PRODUCERS TALK 'FALSE SPRING' AS SEASON BEGINS

ASHLEY KULP akulp@metroland.com

Of their 2,900 trees, one sugar maple at Thompsontown Maple Products has an especially sweet history.

"The tree we're tapping today, there's a good chance that it was tapped by our ancestors likely 150 years ago," said Ray Thompson, owner of the Clayton sugar bush that hosted the provincial first tapping March 11 to kick off the maple syrup season.

That 100-year-old maple also has the distinction of being tapped by several North American Maple Syrup Council Maple Hall of Fame members, including Lanark County maple pioneer Marion Paul in 2001. Pembroke's Ray Bonenberg, inducted in 2020, did the honours on March 11. Later in the week, Thompson expected fellow hall of famers Dave Chapeskie and John Henderson to tap the tree.

"I think we'll retire that tree after this," he remarked.

Lanark's Brian and Marion Paul were instrumental in the creation of the Lanark and District Maple Syrup Producers' Association (LDMSPA), which includes Lanark, Leeds-Grenville and Frontenac counties. "That's quite significant," remarked Bonenberg. "I'm humbled and honoured to be here to tap the same tree that Marion tapped."

It's a special year for Thompson, wife Ann and daughters Leann and Lisa. The family marks 180 years on the farm and their 40th anniversary of maple syrup production.

The who's who of the local and provincial maple syrup industry were on hand for the tapping. Frank Heerkens, president of the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers' Association,

noted the industry contributes more than $60 million to the Canadian economy.

"There's close to 2,000 direct jobs and over $12 million in taxes to the three levels of government and the industry has grown (an) average of five to eight per cent per year," he stated.

With a goal to make the highest quality maple syrup out there, Heerkens said OMSPA recently adopted a maple development strategy for the next five to 10 years.

Heerkens also commented on the mild spell in February, which prompted some early production.

"I know some of you have been in maple syrup production already, but that was a false spring as we could tell by last Saturday's (March 4) eight inches of snow on the ground and this morning it's crisp and cool," he said.

Jamie Fortune and his family have produced maple syrup since the 1840s and operate Fortune Farms, just outside of Almonte. He also owns Temple's Sugar Bush in Lanark. He's the current president of LDMSPA and noted there's "1,400 people making syrup in the spring" in Lanark County.

When questioned whether climate change could have an impact on producers, Fortune cautioned "one year does not create a trend."

"Yes, this year is early, but our records since 2013 and 2014 show our average start day is March 10, so we're right around that time. The earliest date is probably the 26th of February," he explained. "It's really interesting. Yes, we'll always have mild spells ... but there's not much you can do about it."

The most important thing is to be ready when Mother Nature decides she is. "Ensure your equipment is up, the pipelines look fine and then they just have to give us the weather," Fortune stated.

Thompson said the mild weather in February allowed them to tap about half of their trees. "We're now tapping the rest of them and sitting and waiting for milder weather," he said. "The lines are frozen, but the sap is in there."

He noted maple syrup producers are nothing if not resilient. Thompson remembers several setbacks at Thompsontown over the years, notably the tornado microburst in 1997 that destroyed 300 of their trees. Another punch came from the 1998 ice storm.

"The (May 2022) storm was bad, but nothing like (what) we had in 1997," he said. "That was the most trying time that we had here, but we survived it. Syrup producers and farmers, we can get over anything."

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Attending the provincial first tapping party to kick off the maple syrup season, editor Ashley Kulp spoke with maple syrup producers on how the mild winter is affecting operations.

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2023-03-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

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