In an average year, every tap produces a litre of syrup. Rochon is keeping an eye on his per-tap production He’s concerned the trees might have sustained root damage, which would affect the sap yield from each tree. He’s also watching the sap’s sugar content, which can vary from .75 per cent to 3.5 per cent.
The sugar bush in Almonte was damaged, but not the one in Clayton, Fortune said. He had 7,901 taps on trees last year. This year, there are 7,744. Deugo also sees reason to be be optimistic. Younger trees undamaged by the derecho on his farm look healthy, he said. Other producers have managed risk in other ways. Bonenberg and Fortune have both experimented with planted maples in plantations, which presented their own challenges. Maples prefer not to grow in the open, and they’re attractive to deer and voles, which girdle the trunks. Bonenberg lost almost one-third of the trees he planted to a drought.