Back in the Saddle (March 6, 2025)

March 6, 2025
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Good morning my fellow mapleites! 

Yes, it is 5:30 in the morning and time to put fingers to keyboard and let you know what is going on.  The good news is the sap here hasn’t really started to flow.  We have had some warmer temperatures the last couple of days and I am back in the bush getting some work done.  I had to take off a few days for some family matters, but back in the saddle.  I was out yesterday and dug out about 60 feet of the original mainline that had been taken down by some dead tree falls.  Thankfully the line is fine, and I will head back out again after breakfast and get the line restored to the proper slope. 
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The weather network says we are about to head into another freeze up, which helps me as I can get the rest of the existing taps into trees.  Then follow up with the addition of the new trees.  The dogs and I did a tour of the mainline extension when I first got back, you know, just to check on any damage from deer or moose.  There were fewer deer tracks, and no sign of the moose around.  I have noted a few trees that have been damaged by the moose, so they will be harvested and go towards maple syrup.  Jennifer does tease me about running a maple sweat shop, as I encourage the trees “produce or perish.”  I do say that tongue in cheek as my spring pep talk. 

But the line produce or perish does lead us into property stewardship and just how we are managing the property for ourselves and the next generation.  I hate to admit it, but I am just in the past two years starting to look at out forest management plan, and how we look for sustainable growth.  It is an ongoing process, and one that is a new learning curve.  A previous owner here cut out a significant generation of maple trees.  We are now (almost 35 years later) starting to see the growth of the next generation.  Typically, in our neck of the woods a maple tree can be over 40 years old before it is large enough to tap.  We are dealing with lots of bedrock, shallow soil depths and long cold winters. The length of winters does often add to the length of the season for us.  But all factors that we take into account as we develop and grow Michael’s Maple.

How Sweet it is!
Michael