Increasingly unpredictable winter temperatures have Ontario maple syrup producers concerned about how climate change will affect the industry's future, with some pushing for practices they believe will reduce their carbon footprint.
Prolonged mild conditions last month had maple syrup producers in southern Ontario tapping trees for sap in early February -- significantly earlier than when tapping season has historically begun -- but another cold spell last week put a pause on the early start.
John Williams, executive director of the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers' Association, says there's evidence that spring weather is creeping forward each year, creating uncertainty in the delicate freeze-thaw cycles that producers rely on.
He says the swings in weather mean producers have to rush to tap trees when temperatures shift unexpectedly, with little time to prepare for the operations.
Maple syrup producer Paul Renaud says climate change is having a substantial effect on the industry and extreme weather events like windstorms can have devastating consequences on maple trees, which can take more than 40 years to grow back.
Renaud has been working with the maple syrup producers' association to get producers to switch to carbon-neutral practices, such as making their sap evaporators more efficient.
Renaud says 85 to 90 per cent of emissions that a maple syrup producer has comes from the boiling of sap.