Local sugarbushes helping to trap carbon

MIDDLEBURY | Maple is a unique agricultural product in the Champlain Valley of Vermont and New York. It is used to create some delectable creations and useful products. But did you know that maple is also a sustainable product and can have a positive impact on the environment? Local sugarbushes help naturally capture the element carbon as part of the tree's respiration processes. No carbon footprint The Canadian-based International Maple Syrup Institute has found that the capture of carbon, which contributes to atmospheric change, can add up in areas of high maple production. Accroding to the state of California, young, fast-growing trees have a rapid rate of carbon sequestration (uptake and storage of carbon from the atmosphere). They take up more carbon than they lose through respiration, resulting in increased biomass. This rate slows as trees age. Mature forests may become carbon neutral, balanced between sequestration and respiration. However, mature forest ecosystems already contain a huge amount of carbon stored in biomass and soil. There have been periods in the past when photosynthesis exceeded respiration and organic material built up forming coal, oil, and natural gas over millions of years—fossil fuels, the Earth's original biofuels. When these fuels are extracted and burned for energy this previously-stored carbon is released. This is the carbon that is largely responsible for the current increase in greenhouse gases driving global climate change. A sustainable product Maple is a sustainable product, too, because of its natural production process, according to the International Maple Syrup Institute. Real maple syrup is not a product that can be produced year-round. Maple production takes place in late winter and early spring when cold nights and mild days cause sap within the tree to freeze and flow. When temperatures remain above freezing as the weather progresses into spring, sap continuously flows and the sugar content decreases, making it unsuitable for maple syrup making. Therefore, the season naturally comes to an end. During the summer months, maple trees generate sugar through photosynthesis. This sugar helps the trees' cells breathe, promotes growth, and gets stored in the trees' roots, preparing the tree for the next sugar season. The seasonal nature of maple production enables maple trees to remain healthy and sustainable, thus aiding the maple industry. According to the International Maple Syrup Institute, "When it comes to the collection of sap during maple season, the method of tapping keeps maple production sustainable. Trees are tapped with spouts that connect to lines of tubing that channel sap to larger containers or directly to the sugarhouse." The carefully inserted taps temporarily "wound" the tree so using the same tap location each year has the potential to cause permanent damage to the tree. Therefore, during each sugaring season, taps are placed in a different location of the tree, which allows for sap collection while letting the previous year's tap location continue healing. The tap hole takes about two years to close fully. Off-season surprise Sugarmakers always seek to find the balance between promoting tree health and production. "Maple promotes sustainability through its many ecological benefits. When it comes to discussions about climate change, carbon capture is often spoken of as a way to combat it," said Stephanie Kelly of Morning Ag Clips and Farmhouse Communication. "Maple-producing forests, known as sugarbushes, are considered working agricultural land. In certain areas, the sugarbush's working status protects it from development." Another interesting facet of maple's sustainability is its potential for agroforestry. Agroforestry is a land-use system in which trees or shrubs are grown around or among crop/pastureland. In this case, it is crops that are attempting to be grown in a forest setting. Since maple trees are directly used for only a short time of the year, producers are exploring other ways their sugarbushes can be productive in maple's off-season. Some producers have experimented with growing crops like mushrooms or nursery plants that grow in more shaded areas within their sugarbushes. "Maple is and continues to find new ways to be a sustainable product that can be enjoyed for years to come," Kelly noted.

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Local sugarbushes helping to trap carbon

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