Warm temperatures ruin 2023 maple syrup season for New Brunswick producers

A successful stretch for the New Brunswick maple syrup industry has come to an end as producers watch their taps run dry.

“It hasn’t been a great year, the production is down,” said David Briggs, the owner and president of Briggs Maples based in Hillsborough, N.B.

“We’ve got maybe two-thirds or a little better than half a season this year, so not great.”

For most producers, the season has already ended, though some northern camps will close out their operations over the coming weekend.

Briggs, a producer who operates about 12,000 taps, put much of the blame on Mother Nature.

While the season had an optimal start, temperatures then hovered above freezing overnight and rose to above-average levels throughout the day.

“We were hit a bit with ice damage this year, a bit of the hurricane last fall, so those certainly play into effects on the health of the tree for one thing,” Briggs said.

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Due to the low production, Briggs will have to buy maple syrup from other New Brunswick producers to meet the demand from his customers.

He says that will be costly as the New Brunswick Maple Syrup Association is reporting a poor season across the province.

So far, Louise Poitras, the association’s executive director, said the industry has yielded half the amount of syrup it produced last year.

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“It’s the nature of the business and Mother Nature – she always has the last word,” Poitras said.

The last time the province reported a similarly poor season was in 2018, Poitras noted, adding it can take two years to recover from the financial losses.

While it’s not a certainty, Poitras said the low supply and rampant demand could lead to price increases.

Unlike other commodities made in New Brunswick, such as blueberries or apples, maple syrup is not covered by crop insurance programs.

Poitras said they have been working to offer this type of program, but it’s been delayed mostly due to COVID-19.

In the meantime, she said the industry will rely on support from New Brunswick residents who are looking to buy local products.

“I think in New Brunswick, people buy their maple syrup from the producer in their area. If they know that we have less maple syrup, then they’ll stock ahead, hopefully.”

The association is awaiting survey results from producers to calculate the total production for the season.