Adirondack Treat

            While Adirondack maple products flood the shelves of stores year round, the early spring offers a chance for park visitors to procure the sweet treat themselves. The tapping of maple trees is one that’s been around for centuries. Local lore says that the Iroquois stumbled upon this method in the 1500s when an errant tomahawk throw stuck into a maple and unlocked the tree’s secret. Following the accidental discovery, the Iroquois continued to perfect the art and shifted towards using stone taps that funneled the sap into buckets of heated rocks that cooked and purified the sap. European settlers of the 1600s learned from the Natives and joined in, although the labor-intensive process resulted in only small yields. The process of tapping trees remained relatively small scale until the Civil War. Then, the use of tin cans and other storage containers enabled the expansion of syrup production and the practice became much more widespread. Additionally, the organically produced syrup served a social function as it provided an alternative to slave-produced sugar cane. Abolitionists of the era used this dynamic to take a stand against the institution of slavery.

   Depiction of Maple Sugar making in the Adirondacks

http://www.adirondack.net/things-to-do/maple/

          Today, New York is the third largest producer of syrup in the world behind Canada and Vermont. Because of the heavy forestation in the Adirondacks, the region serves as the state’s leader in production. Sap starts to flow as the seasons transition from winter to spring and the warmer temperatures unlock the ooze from its season-long hibernation. Hundreds of locals harvest their own syrup but many visitors come to the park to try their hand at the craft. Many maple farms are open to the public and the tourists that come to see the production process bolster the regions economy. Similarly, the production and sale of syrup in the Adirondacks accounts for a large portion of the local economy and some say that there is room for expansion.

However, as the ecological minds of the Adirondacks often are, residents and tappers are concerned by the implications that climate change presents for the industry. As we’ve discussed in class, there has been a northward migration of trees and plants in response to the warming climate. For the Adirondacks, this means a possible northward migration of the maple. Of course, this tree species is essential for the production of syrup and so its migration could translate into trouble for syrup producers. On top of the economic loss that accompanies reduced syrup production, there will without a doubt be a loss of tradition that may be viewed as more important. With such a storied tradition, the absence of sugaring in the region represents a cultural loss and movement away from the olden ways of the Adirondacks.

Works Cited

Adirondack. "Enjoy Maple Sugaring in the Adirondacks." Adirondack.net. 2015.Web. <http://www.adirondack.net/things-to-do/maple/>.

Anonymous. "Adirondack Maple Sugaring." Visit Adirondacks. 2015.Web. <http://visitadirondacks.com/attractions/maple-sugaring-the-adirondacks>.

Museum. "Maple Syrup in the Adirondacks." Adirondack Museum. 2015.Web. <http://www.adkmuseum.org/about_us/adirondack_journal/?id=140>.