Maple Syrup

Acer saccharum

otherperennial Zone 3–8

Sugar maple trees are tapped in late winter/early spring for sap, which is boiled down (approximately 40:1 sap-to-syrup ratio) to produce maple syrup. Thrives in cool, moist climates in Zones 3-8, preferring well-drained upland soils. Modern vacuum tubing systems have significantly improved commercial production efficiency.

24/30

Crop Snowflake Score

Gross Revenue

$900

/acre

Net Return

/acre

Price Trend

stable

Establishment Cost

$2,500

/acre

Crop Insurance

Available

Years to Production

years

Overview

Growing Season

Plant: spring or fall – spring or fall
Harvest: late Feb to early Apr (tapping season) – late Feb to early Apr (tapping season)
Frost-free days: 80+

Yield

Typical yield: 24 gallons syrup/acre
Productive lifespan: 100 years
Years to full prod.: 40
Labor: 500 hrs/acre

96%

Market Fit

6/6

Active Regional Buyers

Established crop with known regional buyers

Price Trend Stable/Up

Price trending upward due to growing demand

Supply Below Demand

Regional supply roughly balanced with demand

Multiple Buyer Channels

Multiple market channels: wholesale, retail, processing, and/or direct

Value-Added Potential

Strong value-added potential through processing, direct sales, or specialty products

Market Growth Projected

Strong market growth projected

Market Channels

wholesale · Bulk syrup is sold in food-grade drums to packers and bottlers at lower per-unit bulk prices; steady volume outlet for larger producers.

retail · Grocery, specialty, and gift-shop retail, including value-added products (confections, infused syrups, candy) that expand the gift and ingredient markets.

direct_to_consumer · Roadside stands, farm sales, and online orders capture the highest margins; direct sales command premium prices and build repeat customers.

farmers_market · Seasonal farmers markets support premium retail-price direct sales with strong consumer demand for local syrup.

restaurant · Table syrup and ingredient use by restaurants and food manufacturers; growing use as a topping and natural sweetener.

Climate Fit

5/6

Hardiness Zone Match

Region's hardiness zone within crop range (3.0-8.0)

GDD Sufficient

GDD data not specified; crop is documented as viable at the regional hardiness zone

Precipitation Compatible

Regional precipitation (~40 in/yr) compatible with crop needs

Frost-Free Season OK

Frost-free season (160 days) meets crop requirement (80 days)

Chill Hours Met

Regional chill hours (1100) may not meet crop minimum (2500)

Climate Trend Favorable

Climate projections remain favorable for this crop in the region

Soil Compatibility

Soil Texture

sand (poor)loamy_sand (marginal)sandy_loam (suitable)loam (ideal)silt_loam (ideal)sandy_clay_loam (marginal)clay_loam (suitable)silty_clay_loam (suitable)silty_clay (marginal)clay (marginal)

Drainage

very_poorly_drained (poor)poorly_drained (poor)somewhat_poorly_drained (marginal)moderately_well_drained (suitable)well_drained (ideal)somewhat_excessively_drained (marginal)excessively_drained (poor)

Infrastructure Fit

5/6

Equipment Compatible

Some specialized equipment needed but adaptable from existing vineyard infrastructure

Storage Available

Dry/ambient storage sufficient; commonly available on farms

Irrigation Compatible

Low water needs or rain-fed viable

Field Layout Suitable

Requires mature sugar maple woodland, not field cultivation

Labor Availability

Labor needs manageable with existing farm workforce

Processing Proximity

Processing/packing facilities within viable distance in WNY

Equipment Requirements

harvesting

Tubing Network with Mainline and LateralsRequired Specialized

Carries sap from tap to sugarhouse under vacuum. Replaces bucket collection and is the basis of modern yields per tap.

Vacuum Pump and ReleaserRequired Specialized

Vacuum substantially increases sap yield per tap and is what makes a compressed season economically survivable.

$4,000

Tapping Drill and SpoutsRequired Specialized

Health spouts replaced on a regular cycle to limit microbial contamination of tapholes and preserve tree health.

$600

post_harvest

Reverse Osmosis UnitRequired Specialized

Removes 75% or more of water before the evaporator, cutting boiling time 50-75% and fuel use by up to 66%. Commercial units start around $3,000.

$3,000

Evaporator with PreheaterRequired Specialized

Finishes sap to syrup density. A larger traditional evaporator costs $4,000 or more excluding fuel.

$4,000

Filter PressRequired Specialized

Removes niter (sugar sand) to meet grade and clarity standards for retail and bulk sale.

$2,500

Hydrometer and RefractometerRequired

Density measurement to the legal syrup standard; underdensity spoils, overdensity crystallises.

$200

general

Sugarhouse StructureRequired Specialized

Houses evaporation and packing. Requires ventilation for steam and food-grade surfaces for packing.

Storage Requirements

Hot-pack sealed containers (cool, dark)

Temperature

50–70°F

Max Storage

730 days

Refrigerated (opened containers)

Temperature

33–40°F

Max Storage

180 days

Frozen (long-term)

Temperature

0–10°F

Bulk food-grade drums

Temperature

40–60°F

Max Storage

365 days

Finance Fit

3/6

Revenue Above Average

Gross revenue ($900/acre) below regional average

Input Costs Acceptable

Annual operating costs ($900/acre) within typical farm budgets

Payback Period OK

Very long establishment period (7-15+ years to full production)

Insurance Available

Federal crop insurance available

Revenue Per Labor Hour

Revenue per labor hour ($2) is below average

Grants/Subsidies

Grant and subsidy programs available (Specialty Crop Block Grant, EQIP, Beginning Farmer, etc.)

Economics Breakdown

Avg Price/Unit	$37/per gallon syrup
Gross Revenue/Acre	$900
Annual Operating Cost	$900/acre
Establishment Cost	$2,500/acre
Total Input Cost	—/acre
Net Return/Acre	$1
Revenue/Labor Hour	—
Crop Insurance	Available

Source: Cornell Cooperative Extension, Penn State Extension, USDA RMA, regional budget studies (2025)

Risk Fit

5/6

Manageable Pest/Disease

Low pest/disease pressure; manageable with standard IPM

Market Diversified

Market access diversified across multiple channels

Low Establishment Risk

High establishment risk; significant investment and years before returns

Climate Resilient

Hardy and resilient to climate variability in the region

Regulatory Burden Low

Minimal regulatory burden for production and sale

Diversifies Portfolio

Diversifies farm revenue away from grape monoculture

Known Risks

pest

Asian Longhorned Beetlehigh

Non-native invasive borer identified as the headline threat to sugar maple. Infestation triggers regulatory removal of host trees, destroying decades of sugarbush capital in a single season.

Forest Tent Caterpillarhigh

Periodic outbreak defoliator. Repeated defoliation reduces stored carbohydrate, lowering sap sugar content and, over successive years, tree vigour.

Saddled Prominentmoderate

Outbreak defoliator of northern hardwoods; heavy years strip crowns in mid to late summer.

Maple Trumpet Skeletonizerlow

Late-season leaf skeletoniser. Damage is largely cosmetic in isolation but compounds other defoliation in outbreak years.

Maple Leaf Cutterlow

Leaf-mining and cutting damage during population peaks, reducing effective leaf area.

environmental

Soil Compaction and Logging Woundshigh

Extension identifies management-inflicted damage — soil compaction and logging wounds — among the main threats to sugarbush health. Damage is cumulative and effectively permanent on the scale of a tapping rotation.

Loss of Stand Diversitymoderate

Extension flags loss of diversity as a risk factor: a pure sugar maple stand carries concentrated exposure to any single maple-specific pest or pathogen.

climate

Warming and Variable Freeze-Thawhigh

Sap flow requires alternating freeze and thaw. Shortening and shifting of that window, and reduced snowpack insulating the root zone, directly compress the tapping season.

Nutritional Yield

Nutrition data pending.

Research agents will profile Maple Syrup against USDA FoodData Central on the next maintenance pass. Per-acre nutritional yield will appear here once the per-100g panel is recorded.

Ecosystem Services

Carbon sequestration

Standing forest carbon
high
A tapped sugarbush is working forest. Trees remain standing and accumulating carbon across a production life measured in many decades, while yielding an annual crop — a combination essentially unique among the crops in this catalogue.
Applies when: Contingent on the sugarbush being retained as forest rather than converted.
Evidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: high

Biodiversity

Intact forest habitat
high
Production requires maintaining a functioning hardwood stand. Extension guidance to retain species diversity when thinning means a well-managed sugarbush supports substantially more forest-interior habitat than any field crop.
Applies when: Strongest where thinning retains non-maple components rather than releasing maple exclusively.
Evidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: high

Water regulation

Forest hydrology and snowpack retention
high
Continuous forest canopy and undisturbed forest floor moderate snowmelt timing, sustain infiltration, and reduce peak runoff relative to open land on the same terrain.
Evidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: medium

Soil health

Permanently undisturbed forest soil
high
No tillage occurs at any point. The principal soil risk is compaction from management traffic, which is why extension guidance restricts machinery to designated trails and frozen ground.
Applies when: Benefit is lost where machinery operates off-trail on unfrozen ground.
Evidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: high

Climate adaptation

Economic incentive to retain forest cover
moderate
Sugarbush income gives landowners a recurring financial reason to keep land forested rather than convert it, which is itself a durable climate-adaptation outcome at the landscape scale.
Evidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: medium

Nearby Buyers

Radius from Lake Erie Concord Grape Belt:

No registered buyers for this crop within 50 miles.

Data Sources

Every data point on this page is traceable to its source. Below you'll find the complete provenance trail — which sources were used, when data was last verified, and a full change history.

Primary sources: Data sourced from Cornell Cooperative Extension, Penn State Extension, USDA resources, and regional research.

Economics data year: 2025 · Region: lake_erie

44 tracked changes across 4 data categories