February Heat Blast Kicks New England Industry Into Gear

Thanks to a February thaw, Maple Weekend got a huge boost this week.

While many of us were out running in shorts, driving with the windows rolled down, (and possibly the heat on) and grilling like it's May, one industry received a shot in the arm. New England's maple industry was aided by warm temperatures as they prepare for sap season. Vermont's James Zeno has a business of 30,000 maple taps. He told NECN sap only starts running once temperatures rise, so when Northern New England stretched highs into the 50's and 60's, Zeno was going to be busy. During this warm spell, his operation collected 15-18,000 gallons of sap.

February's early warm wave gave farmers a chance to test out equipment, and fine tune for the upcoming prime season. Zeno said “It gives us a chance to iron out all of our kinks.”

The 24th Annual NH Maple Weekend will be March 23rd and 24th.