Editing Maple syrup (section)

== Production ==
[[File:Making Maple Syrup (MSA) (12794030474).jpg|thumb|Pouring the sap]]
[[File:Bouillir l'eau d'érable à sucre 2013-04-07 23-33.jpg|thumb|A "sugar shack" where sap is boiling.]]

[[File:Maple syrup production.svg|thumb|Regions of maple syrup production in Southeastern Canada and the Northeastern United States, according to the Maple Syrup Producers' Association of Ontario]]

Maple syrup production is centred in northeastern North America; however, given the correct weather conditions, it can be made wherever suitable species of maple trees grow, such as New Zealand, where there are efforts to establish commercial production.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Driller|first1=Tenaya|last2=Gandela|first2=Danielle|last3=Watson|first3=Matthew|date=2018|title=Feasibility of producing maple syrup in New Zealand|url=https://search.informit.org/documentSummary;dn=046234106508181;res=IELENG|journal=Chemeca 2018|page=34}}</ref> 

A maple syrup production farm is called a "[[sugar bush|sugarbush]]". Sap is often boiled in a "[[sugar house]]" (also known as a "sugar shack", "sugar cabin", "sugar shanty", or ''cabane à sucre''), a building [[Louvre (window)|louvre]]d at the top to vent the steam from the boiling sap.<ref name="facilities">{{cite book |last1=Koelling |first1=Melvin R. |last2=Staats |first2=Lewis |editor1-first=Melvin R |editor1-last=Koelling |editor2-last=Heiligmann |editor2-first=Randall B |title=North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual |chapter-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060701150215/http://ohioline.osu.edu/b856/index.html |year=1996 |publisher=Ohio State University |chapter=Appendix 1: Maple Production and Processing Facilities  }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://holmes.osu.edu/sites/holmes/files/imce/Program_Pages/Maple/North%20American%20Maple%20Syrup%20Producers%20Manual%20full%20pdf.pdf |title=North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual |publisher=Ohio State University |year=2006 |editor-last=Heiligmann |editor-first=Randall B. |edition=2nd |language=en}}</ref>{{sfn|Eagleson|Hasner|2006|p=30}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ontarioculinary.com/the-best-sugar-shack-experiences-in-ontario/|author=Elliot, Robert|date=22 February 2022|title=Sweetest Maple Sugar Shack Experiences in Ontario|accessdate=19 September 2022}}</ref>

Maples are usually tapped beginning at 30 to 40 years of age. Each tree can support between one and three taps, depending on its trunk diameter. The average maple tree will produce {{convert|35|to|50|L|USgal}} of sap per season, up to {{convert|12|L|USgal}} per day.{{sfn|Ciesla|2002|p=39}} This is roughly equal to seven per cent of its total sap. Tap seasons typically happen during late winter and spring and usually last for four to eight weeks, though the exact dates depend on the weather, location, and climate.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ppaq.ca/en/maple-production/step-by-step-production-maple-syrup/|title= Step-by-Step in the Production of Maple Syrup|publisher=Producteurs et productrices acéricoles du Québec|accessdate=4 October 2021}}</ref><ref name="intro">{{cite book |last1=Koelling |first1=Melvin R |last2=Davenport |first2=Russell |editor1-first=Melvin R |editor1-last=Koelling |editor2-last=Heiligmann |editor2-first=Randall B |title=North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual |chapter-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060701150215/http://ohioline.osu.edu/b856/index.html |year=1996 |publisher=Ohio State University |chapter=Chapter 1: Introduction }}</ref> 

During the day, sucrose stored in the roots for the winter rises through the trunk as sugary sap. A hole is bored into the trunk of the tree to allow the sap to flow out of a spile that is tapped in the hole.<ref name="production">{{cite book |last1=Heiligmann |first1=Randall B |editor1-first=Melvin R |editor1-last=Koelling |editor2-last=Heiligmann |editor2-first=Randall B |title=North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual |chapter-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060701150215/http://ohioline.osu.edu/b856/index.html |year=1996 |publisher=Ohio State University |chapter=Chapter 6: Maple Sap Production |display-authors=etal }}</ref> The taps are left in place for the season, and the sap flows during the day when the temperature is above freezing.<ref name="ce">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Werner |first=Leo H |title=Maple Sugar Industry |volume=129 |issue=3 |pages=176 |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/maple-sugar-industry |encyclopedia=Canadian Encyclopedia |publisher=Historica-Dominion Institute |accessdate=20 September 2010 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106123650/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/maple-sugar-industry/ |archivedate=6 November 2014  |year=1923 |doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0923-176 }}</ref> Some producers also tap in autumn, though this practice is less common than spring tapping. Maples can continue to be tapped for sap until they are over 100 years old.{{sfn|Ciesla|2002|p=39}}

Climate change is dramatically impacting the production of maple syrup.<ref>{{cite web |last=Milideo |first=Lauren |date=13 February 2024 |title=How Climate Change is Impacting the Maple Syrup Industry |url=https://www.uvm.edu/news/story/how-climate-change-impacting-maple-syrup-industry |work=UVM Today}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Goldstein |first1=Bennet |last2=Miller |first2=Brittney |date=15 April 2024 |title=Midwest maple syrup producers adapt to uncertainty as climate changes |url=https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/midwest-maple-syrup-producers-adapt-to-uncertainty-as-climate-changes/ |publisher=PBS Wisconsin}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Dario |first=Kate |date=13 March 2024 |title=Maple Month in a warm winter: How climate change is reshaping NH's syrup season |url=https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2024-03-13/maple-month-in-a-warm-winter-how-climate-change-is-reshaping-nhs-syrup-season |publisher=NHPR}}</ref> Increased temperatures in late winter/early spring causes the season for maple sap collection to shift earlier in the year, with increased summer temperatures causing a decrease in sugar content in sap, and drought/heavy rainfall impacting forest ecosystems.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Barrett |first=Rick |date=1 April 2025 |title=Maple sugaring is a Wisconsin tradition, but could climate change put it at risk? |url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2025/04/01/climate-change-could-put-maple-syrup-making-at-risk/82634747007/ |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel}}</ref>