Vermont Maple Syrup Hard Hit by Climate Change

[deadparrot]

Source: ABC News

March 24, 2007 — In a gathering evening at the edge of the Green Mountains, steam rising from the Branon family farm's sugar house signals that it's syrup season again.

Inside the sugar house, Tim Branon, the eldest brother of an extended family that has made syrup for five generations, presides over the boiling process. It is now done largely in a gleaming stainless steel extractor made in nearby Rutland. It boils the sap, removing moisture and concentrating the maple sugar.

Branon, a man of few words but vast knowledge about the process he learned as a child, only opens the tap when it reaches the exact density of syrup.

...

But this year, there is a growing realization that global warming — if that's what it is — is beginning to take a toll on Vermont's signature product, and the farmers and their families who produce it.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/GlobalWarming/story?id=2978788&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

[Bobbieo]

1. Brings back fond memories of my teen years in Northen N.Y

Every spring the kettle on the cast iron range boiing down the sap from our maple trees. That stuff was soooo good!!!!

[w4rma]

2. Another American industry is dying so that energy companies can cheat more money out of Americans.nt

[SpiralHawk]

6. On the bright side: republicon crony profits are way up

"Who cares about the stinkin pancake eaters anyway. They are all liberal democrats,
who are also into French Toast. You know what that means. So screw 'em."

- Kommander AWOL & His Kabal of Korrupt Krony republicons

[ngant17]

3. wasn't acid rain the culprit

back in the 1970's? I recall reading about the decline in Canadian maple trees being associated with acid rain from the northeastern US automotive industry and the refusal to implement more effective pollution standards.

Trees don't croak over and die in a few days, the effects might take a dozen years, it can be a slow process. So I don't know how environmental scientists can prove of this problem is related mostly to global warming, or acid rain or both.

[Kagemusha]

4. They don't care

they'll just pretend that the sap level was uniformly steady for the last century until this winter because anything else fails to serve the larger truth and the larger agenda.

[cali]

5. No.

this is strictly related to climate change. The sugar maples recovered from any affects of acid rain.

[earth mom]

7. There's OIL & DIAMONDS in the Arctic-nobody cares about no Maple Syrup!

:sarcasm:

:cry:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x497292