Maple trees tapped and sap is flowing in Waterloo region

Maple syrup producers across Waterloo region have tapped their trees and are hoping for a long season.

Dale Martin, of Winding Road Maple Products in Elmira, said they set up their tap lines all last week in anticipation of the warmer temperatures over the weekend and this week.

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"It looks like sap weather," Martin said in a phone interview from his sugar bush.

Terry Hoover, president of the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association as well as the local Waterloo Wellington chapter of the group, said they're looking for warm days and cold nights.

"Perfect conditions is plus 5 C with sunshine and -5 C at night. That's what we're looking for," he said. "You've got to have both."

Early start to season

He said most of the 200-plus producers in Waterloo region and Wellington County had likely started getting their lines up last week.

While it's an early start to the season, he said in fact it's later than last year.

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"Last year we were joking at the first tapping ceremony that we need to change the name to last tapping because last year everybody had tapped before the 24th of February," he said.

But he said earlier starts to the season aren't yet a trend. Three years ago, there was still six feet of snow on the ground and everything was late.

"It all depends on the winter," he said.

Martin said he hopes the early start will mean a longer season, much like they saw last year.

"The benefit of having an early season, I always think, is we have the cooler weather, we have potential to have a bigger crop of high quality syrup," he said.

Tapping the maple trees, for him, is "a sure sign of spring."