Can you make maple syrup in Idaho?
Local timing guidance
No Idaho-specific dates found; the UI release says tubing was set in October and 'In the spring, the researchers will tap the trees'. Nearest verified guidance is USU's for Cache Valley, 60 miles south: freeze-thaw 'generally start occurring mid to late February'.
Source: Idaho Farm Bureau/UI 2022 (VERIFIED); USU Forest Facts 043 (VERIFIED, Utah)
Trees
Tappable trees in Idaho
| Species | Status | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Bigtooth mapleAcer grandidentatum | native | 'the best stands spanning throughout eastern Idaho' (Bear River range, Franklin/Oneida/Bannock counties); FEIS: 'from southeastern Idaho'Idaho Farm Bureau/UI 2022 (VERIFIED); USFS FEIS |
| BoxelderAcer negundo | native | River bottoms and towns statewide ('local in ... Idaho' per FEIS)USFS FEIS; USU project (Idaho Boxelder Syrup) |
| Norway mapleAcer platanoides | introduced | Street tree; FEIS lists it escaped in IdahoUSFS FEIS |
| Rocky Mountain mapleAcer glabrum | native | Mountains statewide; smallUSFS FEIS (ID in STATES list) |
| Bigleaf mapleAcer macrophyllum | native | 'Isolated bigleaf maple populations may occur in Idaho' (north Idaho)USFS FEIS |
| Paper birchBetula papyrifera | native | Northern Idaho panhandleUSFS FEIS (ID in STATES list) |
Who already does it
Sugaring in Idaho, documented
UI Extension educator Bracken Henderson (Franklin County) with USU: tubing network in bigtooth groves near Oxford, Idaho (Oct 2022); his earlier bucket season gave 'about 30 liters of sap per tree' — 'roughly half the yield of operations in major production states such as Vermont'; '40 to 50 liters of sap to make a single liter'; syrup 'had a similar sugar content as syrup made from sugar maples in the East'
Idaho Farm Bureau Federation (University of Idaho release by John O'Connell), 2022 · VERIFIED
'The U.S. Forest Service estimates Idaho has at least 2.1 million bigtooth maple trees of sufficient size to be tapped'; USU's three-year $500,000 Acer Access and Development grant covers 'parts of Idaho, Utah and Wyoming'
Same UI release via Local News 8 (KIFI), 22 Oct 2022 · VERIFIED
Commercial products listed by the USU project: 'Idaho Bigtooth Maple Syrup Produced by: Idaho's Sugar Bush' and 'Idaho Boxelder Syrup Produced by: Idaho's Sugar Bush'
Cautions
What local sources warn about
- Small trees: 'Most of these trees they wouldn't tap in the East. They want 8-inch trunks and larger, but we don't have those here.' (Idaho Farm Bureau/UI 2022 (VERIFIED))
- Half the sap: ~30 L per tree per season by bucket, 40–50 L of sap per litre of syrup. (Idaho Farm Bureau/UI 2022 (VERIFIED))
- Terrain matters for tubing: 'about 30 trees growing close together on a slope with a 30-foot elevation difference' to make gravity tubing work. (Idaho Farm Bureau/UI 2022 (VERIFIED))
Where to look
Likely sugaring country
Preston / Oxford (Franklin County)
UI Extension research groves and the bigtooth hills on the Utah line
Pocatello (Bannock County)
Eastern Idaho city at the edge of the best bigtooth stands
Boise
Largest urban Norway-maple and boxelder canopy for backyard tapping (no producer verified)
Minor place. uidaho.edu pages returned navigation only (JS); the same release was read via Idaho Farm Bureau and KIFI. East Idaho News (403) and Idaho Business Review (403) not opened.
FAQ
Sugaring in Idaho: questions
- Can you tap maple trees in Idaho?
- Yes, in parts of it. Yes in eastern Idaho's bigtooth maple hills and in town: the USFS estimates 2.1 million tappable bigtooth maples, University of Idaho Extension (Franklin County) is a partner in the USU-led USDA syrup project, a UI educator's bigtooth syrup matched eastern sugar content, and 'Idaho's Sugar Bush' sells bigtooth and boxelder syrup — but sap volume is about half of Vermont's and trees are small.
- When do you tap maple trees in Idaho?
- No Idaho-specific dates found; the UI release says tubing was set in October and 'In the spring, the researchers will tap the trees'. Nearest verified guidance is USU's for Cache Valley, 60 miles south: freeze-thaw 'generally start occurring mid to late February'. (Idaho Farm Bureau/UI 2022 (VERIFIED); USU Forest Facts 043 (VERIFIED, Utah))
- Which trees can you tap in Idaho?
- Bigtooth maple (Acer grandidentatum, native): 'the best stands spanning throughout eastern Idaho' (Bear River range, Franklin/Oneida/Bannock counties); FEIS: 'from southeastern Idaho' Boxelder (Acer negundo, native): River bottoms and towns statewide ('local in ... Idaho' per FEIS) Norway maple (Acer platanoides, introduced): Street tree; FEIS lists it escaped in Idaho Rocky Mountain maple (Acer glabrum, native): Mountains statewide; small Bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum, native): 'Isolated bigleaf maple populations may occur in Idaho' (north Idaho) Paper birch (Betula papyrifera, native): Northern Idaho panhandle
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