The Holo-Cost of Maple Syrup

At what cost do we sap our trees to make syrup for our pancakes?

This was for an MIT 346 video production class. Our objective was to create a documentary that would have viewers reveal truths they normally wouldn't think about.

Some Facts:

- The Maple Syrup is a 15 million dollar industry in Canada alone. (Annual)

- Serious harm can be done to Maple Trees if incorrect sapping procedure is followed. There are strict rules associated with sapping trees. They have to be the right age before any sap can be excreted (at least 20 years old). There is a maximum number of allowed tapholes(4 in large trees);any more could harm the health of a tree. Improper taphole procedure could leave trees vulnerable to decay and insect infestations (which also leads to the eventual death of the tree).

- The temperature has to be just right before trees can be safely tapped. That means no tapping when the wood is still frozen, or it may lead to a large, unrecoverable wound called a "cambium"

How many maple syrup related deaths are there in maple trees today? Well to be honest I don't know because that information has not been tabulated. I'm asking a question that no one has bothered to ask because they think it to be redundant. It's these kinds of "little" things that go unnoticed and become a huge epidemic down the road when maple trees are gone.

We never know, maybe maple syrup production is affecting the health of the tree. The pressures to meet maple syrup quotas for distributors are there, and some may be pressured into puncturing an additional tap hole. 1 million + liters of syrup is produced every year in Ontario alone. Multiply that by the number of syrup-producing provinces (Quebec produced 24,769,000 litres in 2005 alone), combine that with syrup producers in northern United States and around the world and you have tons of maple bush/orchard operators. Imagine if every single one of those distributors harmed/crippled 1 tree every year (whether it be by accident or intentional), that's a lot of trees to be injuring. The pressures to push a tree beyond it's producing capabilities are there. Working in the maple syrup industry is a timely business, with trees taking up to 20 years to become healthy enough to bore even one taphole. The pressures to rush a tree to withstand an additional taphole is there. Since Maple Syrup production does not require a license (in Ontario), environment inspectors are not required to inspect the health of tapped trees. There could be a huge unknown number of illegal tapping procedures that are going undocumented.

This purpose of this video was to raise awareness that this could be an inevitable threat. It's also not only supposed to shed light on a lesser known threat of sapping, but to also support the "stop deforesting" movement. Let's love trees again people.