Why is Vermont #1 in maple syrup?
Vermont is small, cold and hilly โ and #1 in maple syrup (and in homes heated by wood). The weather is the reason, and a freeze-and-thaw pump inside every tree.
Vermont makes more maple syrup than any other state, and a bigger share of its homes are heated mainly with wood than anywhere else. Both are real rankings โ check them in the quizzes below.
Basis: Both #1s come from official statistics (USDA NASS maple report; Census Bureau ACS). The numbers and sources are on each quiz page.
Maple syrup is made from the sap of maple trees, mostly sugar maple, collected from late winter into early spring. Sap only flows when nights drop below freezing and days climb above it โ and the season ends once nights stay warm and buds open. A whole season is only a few weeks long.
Who says so: USDA Forest Service (Climate Change Resource Center) (opens in a new tab)
Why freezing nights? Because of a freeze-and-thaw pump. On a day above freezing, pressure builds inside the tree and pushes sap out of the tap hole; on a night below freezing, suction pulls water back in through the roots. No freezing nights, no sap.
Who says so: Cornell Cooperative Extension (opens in a new tab)
Vermont's lead is not new: the state agriculture agency says Vermont has led the country in the number of maple taps every year since 1916, and was out-produced only twice, in 1918 and 1926.
Who says so: Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (opens in a new tab)
How big is that lead? The University of Vermont says the state makes about half of all the maple syrup produced in the United States.
Who says so: University of Vermont (opens in a new tab)
Could the maple map change? Under a high-emissions scenario, sugar maple is projected to lose suitable habitat in the southern parts of its range while keeping it in the north โ and the sap season may shift earlier and get shorter as the freeze-thaw weeks move earlier in the year. Sugar maples live a long time, so a change in habitat would not mean the trees vanish right away.
Who says so: USDA Forest Service (Climate Change Resource Center) (opens in a new tab)
Vermont is among the fastest-warming states. University researchers say the sugaring season is starting earlier and ending earlier, and a sudden warm spell in late winter could end a sap run early โ though they add the season has never been predictable.
Who says so: University of Vermont (opens in a new tab)
Zooming out: when USDA redrew its Plant Hardiness Zone Map in 2023, about half the country moved into the next warmer half-zone compared with the 2012 map. USDA notes the change mostly reflects newer temperature data โ a reminder that maps of โwhat grows whereโ are not fixed forever.
Who says so: USDA Agricultural Research Service (opens in a new tab)
Note: a โtheoryโ, โfolkloreโ or โoutlookโ is not settled fact. Always check who is saying it.
๐ Sources for the rankings mentioned in this note (links to the original data and retrieval dates) are on each quiz page below.