That golden deliciousness that you drizzle on your pancakes in the morning has been enjoyed for centuries. Indigenous Peoples first discovered the bounty hidden in the maple trees surrounding their villages in what is now known as Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. By tapping into the natural rhythms of the forest each spring, they harvested the flowing “sweet water” while respecting the trees and ensuring the sustainability of both the forest and their communities. When European settlers arrived in the 1600s, the Indigenous Peoples shared this knowledge, laying the foundation for Canada’s maple syrup tradition.
Sap to sweetness, then and now
For hundreds of years, the process changed little. Using basswood spouts and birch-bark baskets for collection and clay or metal pots, Indigenous Peoples and subsequent settlers transformed the seasonal harvest into a versatile staple used as a sweetener, a preservative for curing meat, a trade item, and even an anesthetic.
Fast forward to the 21st century and the basics are the same, only the accoutrements have changed. Some smaller producers still use spouts and buckets for harvesting; in larger operations, tubes attached to spouts snake their way through the forest to a “sugar house.”
“Maple syrup is made by rendering down maple sap out of the tree using heat,” explains Ray Bonenberg, a “sugar maker” whose operation in Ontario has been producing syrup for almost 30 years. “The sap is boiled using a unit called an evaporator. Sap normally ‘runs’ when ambient temperatures are below freezing for a period, then above freezing for another period. A swing of -8 C (18 F) to +8 C (46 F) is ideal to make the tree run.”
Climate interference
Canada’s maple syrup industry is rooted in tradition and history and produces more than 75 percent of the world’s supply. It seems like a simple, safe, and sustainable system—but the centuries of nurturing have been upended by the insistent depredations of climate change.
Canada’s climate is warming at nearly twice the rate of the rest of the globe. The effects of this escalation, already apparent, are predicted to accelerate in the years to come. Primary drivers affecting maple syrup are warmer winters that alter the sap season, extreme and catastrophic weather events, and invasive pests and diseases.
Freeze-thaw cycles are essential to sap production. According to Climate Data Canada, they “create pressure changes in sugar maples, allowing sap to flow. Warmer temperatures are causing the maple sap season to start earlier and end sooner, with fewer cold nights to drive these essential freeze-thaw cycles.” So, warmer winters can result in lower yields.
Shorter, less predictable seasons also make it harder for maple producers to plan financially, as fluctuating yields can affect annual income while operating costs remain largely unchanged.
Extreme weather events and invasive pests and diseases, all exacerbated by climate change, can be even more deleterious. It takes 30 to 40 years of growth before a sugar maple can be tapped, and a healthy tree can live for over 400 years. The loss of trees to a devastating storm or a widespread beetle infestation reverberates across generations.
Sugar maker Bonenberg offers a report from firsthand experience: “In my 50-plus years of boiling, I have observed that sugaring starts earlier and ends earlier now than 50 years ago. However, climate change is more than temperature. We are seeing more violent windstorms that knock down trees. We are seeing heavy, wet snow and ice build-ups that, again, damage trees. We have drought conditions more frequently than what we may have experienced in the past.”
Fighting back
The maple syrup industry is exploring and implementing strategies to preserve maple stand health and increase adaptive capacity. These include liming to increase vigour, thinning to reduce water demand, and diversifying companion species to enhance resilience.
Producers are also embracing new technologies to improve efficiency and reduce waste. Improved sap collection methods utilize vacuum extraction methods that use negative pressure to actively pull more sap from the taphole. Genetic selection and tree breeding are used to identify and develop maple varieties better adapted to new environmental conditions. And the adoption of cutting-edge, sustainable forest-management practices encourages pest management and soil conservation.
Ultimately, these strategies need to extend beyond our own backyards. As communities around the world respond to growing environmental challenges, lasting progress will depend on collaboration at every level—from individuals and businesses to governments and international organizations.
But in the meantime, support a sustainable sugar maker such as Bonenberg operation, who reminds us of the oft-overlooked repercussions of climate change: “The production of maple syrup … is also a cultural and historical base for many communities and families.”
Maple syrup is more than just a sweetener—it is the amber thread that connects many people to their ancestors and the land. Let’s keep it flowing.
Good for the gut
Maple syrup may do more than satisfy a sweet tooth. Emerging research suggests it could also support gut health. A 2023 study showed that maple syrup “possesses a prebiotic-like activity through novel gut microbiota and liver mechanisms.”
More than a sweetener
You can swap refined sugar for maple syrup in baked goods, salad dressings, marinades, oatmeal, yogurt, smoothies, or roasted vegetables.
Along with its distinctive flavour, maple syrup also provides small amounts of nutrients:
- vitamins (including riboflavin)
- minerals (particularly manganese)
- amino acids (such as arginine)
As with all added sugars, moderation is key.
This article originally appeared as ‘Maples in the crosshairs’ in the November 2026 issue of alive.
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