How sugaring seasons really vary

A calendar date is a guess — the weather decides. Here's every season on record for the major maple states, from USDA's annual reports: when sugarmakers opened, when they closed, and how far a season can swing.

In New England and New York, the sugaring season now begins about 8 days earlier and ends about 11 days earlier than it did 40 years earlier, leaving it roughly 3 days (about 10%) shorter, according to UVM Proctor Maple Research Center survey records analyzed in 2007.

U.S. House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

Cornell researchers found that start dates for tapping maples in the Northeast are about a week earlier than in 1970, and projected they could arrive about a month earlier by 2100 — e.g., around Feb 1 instead of Mar 1 in Montpelier, Vermont (Skinner, DeGaetano & Chabot, Climatic Change, 2010).

Cornell Chronicle

In Québec, the sap season is projected to start and end 9–13 days earlier by 2046–2065 and 15–19 days earlier by 2081–2100 than in 1971–2000; season onset advances about four days for each degree Celsius of warming (Houle et al., PLoS ONE, 2015).

PLOS ONE

Across sugar maple's range from Virginia to Québec, sap collection comes 4.3 days earlier for every 1 °C rise in March mean temperature, and the season's midpoint is projected to be about a month earlier by 2100 under a high-emissions scenario (Rapp et al., Forest Ecology and Management, 2019).

Elsevier / Harvard Forest
State by state, earliest to latest

West Virginia

Median opening Feb 4 · openings spread over 6 days

JanFebMarAprMaymedian start Feb 420162016: Feb 9 – Mar 1220172017: Feb 3 – Mar 720182018: Feb 4 – Mar 14
Each bar is one season, from the approximate average opening date to closing date reported by USDA NASS.

Indiana

Median opening Feb 10 · openings spread over 9 days

JanFebMarAprMaymedian start Feb 1020162016: Feb 18 – Mar 1220172017: Feb 9 – Mar 1220182018: Feb 10 – Mar 19
Each bar is one season, from the approximate average opening date to closing date reported by USDA NASS.

Connecticut

Median opening Feb 12 · openings spread over 29 days

JanFebMarAprMaymedian start Feb 1220112011: Feb 24 – Mar 2820122012: Feb 9 – Mar 1220132013: Feb 12 – Mar 2520142014: Feb 26 – Apr 220152015: Mar 10 – Apr 620162016: Feb 10 – Mar 1520172017: Feb 12 – Mar 2620182018: Feb 12 – Mar 26
Each bar is one season, from the approximate average opening date to closing date reported by USDA NASS.

Ohio

Median opening Feb 18 · openings spread over 24 days

JanFebMarAprMaymedian start Feb 1820112011: Feb 24 – Mar 2720122012: Feb 15 – Mar 1220132013: Feb 20 – Mar 2920142014: Mar 4 – Apr 220152015: Mar 7 – Apr 320162016: Feb 16 – Mar 1320172017: Feb 11 – Mar 1620182018: Feb 14 – Mar 27
Each bar is one season, from the approximate average opening date to closing date reported by USDA NASS.

Massachusetts

Median opening Feb 24 · openings spread over 24 days

JanFebMarAprMaymedian start Feb 2420112011: Mar 4 – Apr 420122012: Feb 19 – Mar 1420132013: Feb 26 – Apr 320142014: Mar 9 – Apr 920152015: Mar 14 – Apr 1120162016: Feb 21 – Mar 2420172017: Feb 19 – Apr 220182018: Feb 18 – Apr 1
Each bar is one season, from the approximate average opening date to closing date reported by USDA NASS.

Pennsylvania

Median opening Feb 25 · openings spread over 27 days

JanFebMarAprMaymedian start Feb 2520112011: Feb 26 – Mar 3120122012: Feb 16 – Mar 1320132013: Feb 26 – Apr 520142014: Mar 6 – Apr 820152015: Mar 10 – Apr 620162016: Feb 15 – Mar 1720172017: Feb 11 – Mar 2220182018: Feb 17 – Apr 320192019: Feb 25 – Apr 120202020: Feb 18 – Mar 2020212021: Feb 27 – Mar 2420222022: Feb 24 – Mar 23
Each bar is one season, from the approximate average opening date to closing date reported by USDA NASS.

New Hampshire

Median opening Feb 28 · openings spread over 24 days

JanFebMarAprMaymedian start Feb 2820112011: Mar 7 – Apr 820122012: Feb 24 – Mar 2020132013: Feb 28 – Apr 720142014: Mar 14 – Apr 1320152015: Mar 18 – Apr 1320162016: Feb 22 – Mar 3020172017: Feb 24 – Apr 720182018: Feb 24 – Apr 820192019: Mar 10 – Apr 1020202020: Feb 24 – Mar 3020212021: Mar 6 – Apr 120222022: Feb 27 – Apr 4
Each bar is one season, from the approximate average opening date to closing date reported by USDA NASS.

New York

Median opening Feb 28 · openings spread over 27 days

JanFebMarAprMaymedian start Feb 2820112011: Mar 5 – Apr 720122012: Feb 21 – Mar 1620132013: Feb 27 – Apr 920142014: Mar 13 – Apr 1420152015: Mar 17 – Apr 1220162016: Feb 22 – Mar 2920172017: Feb 18 – Apr 220182018: Feb 18 – Apr 1120192019: Mar 6 – Apr 720202020: Feb 19 – Mar 2820212021: Mar 4 – Apr 220222022: Feb 28 – Apr 2
Each bar is one season, from the approximate average opening date to closing date reported by USDA NASS.

Vermont

Median opening Mar 2 · openings spread over 27 days

JanFebMarAprMaymedian start Mar 220112011: Mar 9 – Apr 1420122012: Feb 25 – Mar 2220132013: Mar 3 – Apr 1320142014: Mar 20 – Apr 1720152015: Mar 22 – Apr 1720162016: Feb 24 – Apr 820172017: Feb 23 – Apr 1020182018: Feb 23 – Apr 1620192019: Mar 12 – Apr 1520202020: Feb 28 – Apr 620212021: Mar 8 – Apr 520222022: Feb 28 – Apr 9
Each bar is one season, from the approximate average opening date to closing date reported by USDA NASS.

Maine

Median opening Mar 4 · openings spread over 23 days

JanFebMarAprMaymedian start Mar 420112011: Mar 10 – Apr 1320122012: Feb 28 – Mar 2820132013: Mar 4 – Apr 1220142014: Mar 21 – Apr 1920152015: Mar 21 – Apr 1720162016: Feb 26 – Apr 920172017: Mar 2 – Apr 1220182018: Feb 26 – Apr 920192019: Mar 14 – Apr 1420202020: Feb 29 – Apr 820212021: Mar 6 – Apr 620222022: Mar 4 – Apr 9
Each bar is one season, from the approximate average opening date to closing date reported by USDA NASS.

Michigan

Median opening Mar 5 · openings spread over 25 days

JanFebMarAprMaymedian start Mar 520112011: Mar 8 – Apr 620122012: Feb 26 – Mar 1520132013: Mar 9 – Apr 1020142014: Mar 21 – Apr 1420152015: Mar 13 – Apr 820162016: Feb 28 – Mar 2720172017: Feb 24 – Mar 2820182018: Feb 28 – Apr 1020192019: Mar 13 – Apr 720202020: Mar 1 – Mar 3020212021: Mar 2 – Mar 2820222022: Mar 9 – Apr 8
Each bar is one season, from the approximate average opening date to closing date reported by USDA NASS.

Minnesota

Median opening Mar 6 · openings spread over 17 days

JanFebMarAprMaymedian start Mar 620162016: Mar 6 – Apr 620172017: Mar 4 – Apr 320182018: Mar 21 – Apr 22
Each bar is one season, from the approximate average opening date to closing date reported by USDA NASS.

Wisconsin

Median opening Mar 15 · openings spread over 24 days

JanFebMarAprMaymedian start Mar 1520112011: Mar 15 – Apr 1220122012: Mar 8 – Mar 1820132013: Mar 25 – Apr 2320142014: Mar 28 – Apr 1920152015: Mar 14 – Apr 620162016: Mar 6 – Apr 420172017: Mar 4 – Apr 220182018: Mar 16 – Apr 2120192019: Mar 21 – Apr 1420202020: Mar 7 – Apr 420212021: Mar 6 – Mar 3120222022: Mar 18 – Apr 20
Each bar is one season, from the approximate average opening date to closing date reported by USDA NASS.

Sources

  1. USDA NASS — United States Maple Syrup Production, June 13, 2018 (average open/close dates 2016–2018) — USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (mirrored by the University of Vermont)
  2. USDA NASS — United States Maple Syrup Production, June 12, 2019 (average open/close dates 2017–2019) — USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (mirrored by the University of Vermont)
  3. USDA NASS — Crop Production, June 2020 — maple syrup tables (average open/close dates 2018–2020) — USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (mirrored by the University of Vermont)
  4. USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture, County Data — Table 37. Maple Syrup: 2022 and 2017 (West Virginia) — USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
  5. USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture, County Data — Table 37. Maple Syrup: 2022 and 2017 (Indiana) — USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
  6. USDA NASS — Maple Syrup Production — news release, June 2013 (average open/close dates 2011–2013) — USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (mirrored by the University of Vermont)
  7. USDA NASS — Maple Syrup Production — news release, June 2014 (average open/close dates 2012–2014) — USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (mirrored by the University of Vermont)
  8. USDA NASS — United States Maple Syrup Production, June 11, 2015 (average open/close dates 2013–2015) — USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (mirrored by the University of Vermont)
  9. Statement of Timothy D. Perkins, Ph.D., Director, UVM Proctor Maple Research Center — Global Warming Mountaintop 'Summit': Economic Impacts on New England (June 4, 2007) — U.S. House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
  10. In 100 years, maple sap will flow a month earlier — Cornell Chronicle
  11. Impacts of Climate Change on the Timing of the Production Season of Maple Syrup in Eastern Canada (Houle et al. 2015, PLoS ONE 10(12): e0144844) — PLOS ONE
  12. Finding the sweet spot: Shifting optimal climate for maple syrup production in North America (Rapp et al. 2019, Forest Ecology and Management 448: 187–197) — Elsevier / Harvard Forest
  13. Reassessing the schedule of the sugar season in maple under climate warming (de Lima Santos et al. 2025, Frontiers in Agronomy 6: 1496255) — Frontiers in Agronomy

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