How climate change is affecting Ontario maple syrup producers
Maple syrup producers in the national capital region are seeing the effects of climate change, and if those changes continue, there could be long-term effects for the maple syrup landscape in North America.
At Wheelers Maple in Lanark County, they did something this year they've never done before - tap trees in January.
"Traditionally here in Lanark County our maple syrup season starts early to mid-March through to the middle of April," co-owner Mark Wheeler tells CTV News.
Two weeks after tapping, Wheelers was boiling its first batch of syrup on Valentine's Day - again, the earliest the team ever done so. The previous earliest boil was Feb. 20, 2018.
Wheeler credits a mild winter for the record start to the season and notes it's a trend he's seeing become more regular.
"On average, it's been kind of inching earlier."
Maple producers across Ontario are also noting the warming temperatures and the effects of climate change.
"Although it's of concern, I don't think sugaring as we know it is going to be in any type of jeopardy down the road," says Ray Bonenberg, treasurer and head of communications for the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association.
The world's only maple belt is situated in North America and is an area that stretches as far north as the tip of Lake Superior, as far south as Tennessee, west to Missouri, and east to Newfoundland.
The sweet spot for soil enrichment to create flavour lays around southwestern Ontario and Pennsylvania.
Bonenberg says just south of that region, effects of climate change are being seen.
"I've seen in some of the southern states and areas in southwestern Ontario that the sugar content was quite low."
"The sap likes it cold, the syrup likes it cold," he explains.
Bonenberg says that the ideal weather for maple syrup is a swing of five degrees during the day and minus five at night.
He adds that producers in Lanark and Renfrew counties could actually benefit from climate change if that ideal weather window were to be pushed north due to rising temperatures.
"I don't see a negative impact on a slight temperature increase over the next 100 to 200 years."
"If we had another degree or two the sap would run really well," adds Wheeler.
The maple syrup producer in Lanark County says the early start hasn't impacted syrup production or flavour negatively at this point, and the result is sticky success.
"Because we've had a fairly mild winter the sap was really, really good right from the start," says Wheeler. "It was very sweet."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.