When to tap maple trees in Massachusetts
- Opens
- Feb 24
- median, USDA
- Closes
- Apr 3
- median, USDA
- Typical length
- 32days
- Seasons on record
- 8
- 2011–2018
County by county
When the sap runs across Massachusetts
Loading the map…
Typical opening date of the sap season, week by week across this state’s range
- Feb 18–22
- Feb 23–Mar 1
- Mar 2–5
- fewer than 5 maple farms
6 places with an atlas page. Typical season opening, earliest: Hampden County, MA, Feb 18; Middlesex County, MA, Feb 20; Worcester County, MA, Feb 20; latest: Berkshire County, MA, Mar 5; Franklin County, MA, Feb 26; Hampshire County, MA, Feb 23. Most sap days a season: Franklin County, MA, 56; Hampshire County, MA, 55; Middlesex County, MA, 55. Maple taps in the 2022 Census of Agriculture, on a five-step scale shared by both countries: under 1,000, 1,000–5,000, 5,000–20,000, 20,000–100,000, 100,000+; the most: Franklin County, MA (101,339), Hampshire County, MA (78,267), Berkshire County, MA (35,491), Worcester County, MA (16,113), Hampden County, MA (13,595). Maple farms in the same census, in five steps: under 10, 10–20, 20–50, 50–100, 100+; the most: Hampshire County, MA (72), Franklin County, MA (58), Worcester County, MA (54). Syrup made, in US gallons: Franklin County, MA (26,800 gal), Hampshire County, MA (23,062 gal), Berkshire County, MA (12,986 gal). Tappable maples (FIA estimates of sugar maples 10 in and up on forest land, US counties only): under 1 million, 1–2 million, 2–5 million, 5–10 million, 10 million+; the most: Berkshire County, MA (about 4.4 million ± 21%), Franklin County, MA (about 2.0 million ± 32%), Hampden County, MA (about 1.7 million ± 32%). 1 county has none tallied on the inventory plots (not a zero). Each shaded place links to its page; every state and province page lists its places in a table.
Sap-flow outlook right now
Full Massachusetts forecast →Forecast for Ashfield
Updated Nov 10, 4:13 AM EST
1 sap day in the next 6
freeze thaw 32°F
- WedNov 1139° / 51°
0h below · 24h above
No refreeze forecast - ThuNov 1235° / 45°
0h below · 24h above
No refreeze forecast - FriNov 1334° / 39°
0h below · 24h above
No refreeze forecast - SatNov 1432° / 40°
0h below · 21h above
No refreeze forecast - SunNov 1532° / 44°
0h below · 22h above
No refreeze forecast - MonNov 1630° / 46°Sap likely
Data: National Weather Service. Verdicts use freeze-thaw thresholds from maple field research; your woods may run a little differently.
Season history
Massachusetts maple seasons, 2011–2018
| Year | Opened | Closed | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Feb 18 | Apr 1 | 42 |
| 2017 | Feb 19 | Apr 2 | 42 |
| 2016 | Feb 21 | Mar 24 | 32 |
| 2015 | Mar 14 | Apr 11 | 28 |
| 2014 | Mar 9 | Apr 9 | 31 |
| 2013 | Feb 26 | Apr 3 | 36 |
| 2012 | Feb 19 | Mar 14 | 24 |
| 2011 | Mar 4 | Apr 4 | 31 |
Timing your taps
How to know it's time in Massachusetts
Sap runs on a temperature swing, not a date. A night below freezing loads the tree; a day above freezing pushes sap out of the taphole. Field research treats a low under about 30°F followed by a high over about 37°F as a real freeze-thaw day, and big runs almost always come on days like that.
So watch the 10-day forecast. When you see a string of nights in the 20s and afternoons in the 40s, get your taps in a day or two ahead. South-facing slopes warm first and usually run earlier.
Dates are USDA NASS approximate state averages. NASS dropped Massachusetts from its maple program after 2018, so there is no newer per-year data.
Massachusetts made 49,000 gallons of maple syrup in 2026, 0.8% of the US crop (USDA NASS). See every state’s crop.
Seasons are shifting. 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.
Where Massachusetts' sugaring happens
- AshfieldFranklin County has 101,339 of Massachusetts' 255,805 taps (39.6%), the most in the state (2022 Census of Agriculture).
- WorthingtonHampshire County's hilltowns rank second with 78,267 taps (30.6%; 2022 Census of Agriculture).
FAQ
Massachusetts tapping questions
- When is maple syrup season in Massachusetts?
- Usually from late February to early April, about 5 weeks. The exact start moves by weeks from year to year with the weather.
- When should I tap my trees in Massachusetts?
- Tap just before the first good run: when the forecast shows nights below freezing and days climbing to around 40°F. In a typical year that's around February 24. Tapholes dry up within 6 to 10 weeks, so tapping far too early can cost you the late runs.
- What's the earliest maple season has started in Massachusetts?
- In USDA records for 2011–2018, the earliest average opening was February 18 (2018) and the latest was March 14 (2015), a spread of 24 days.
Massachusetts
More for Massachusetts sugarmakers
LuckySap · free on iPhone & Android
Get a heads-up when Massachusetts' sap will run
LuckySap checks the forecast for your trees and can ping you the night before a strong sap day, then keeps every collection and boil in one season log. Free on iPhone and Android.
