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Michael L. Farrell, Richard C. Stedman, Landowner Attitudes Toward Maple Syrup Production in the Northern Forest: A Survey of Forest Owners with ≥100 Acres in Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, Northern Journal of Applied Forestry, Volume 30, Issue 4, 1 December 2013, Pages 184–187, https://doi.org/10.5849/njaf.12-030
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The Northern Forest region, including the states of Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, accounts for over 75% of the maple syrup produced annually in the United States. Although syrup output has been growing at a rapid pace over the past decade, only a small fraction of the maple resource is currently tapped for syrup production. To determine the future growth potential of the maple industry, this paper explores landowner attitudes toward using their maple trees for syrup production. The analysis is based on a mail-survey of 2,400 landowners in the Northern Forest region who own at least 100 acres of woodland. We found that landowners in New England had much more favorable attitudes toward sugaring than those in New York and large landowners were greatly concerned about the impact of tapping on future sawtimber value. Other prominent barriers include lack of personal interest and knowledge in the sugaring process, time and labor constraints, and perceived lack of accessible maple trees.
