On June 13, NPR raised the alarm that the United States may see its maple syrup stock dwindle,
leaving pancakes, French toast, and other diner classics across the country sadly dry.
The drop in supply is due to the thriving species of earthworm commonly known by the names
crazy worms or Asian jumping worms. In April,
Smithsonian Magazine reported that these worms had spread throughout 15 of America's middle states,
from Texas to Minnesota and Missouri to Ohio. By June, Gary Fish, Maine's state horticulturist,
warned Maine Public Radio that the worms had spread to the northeastern corner of the U.S.
Fish explained that these worms are dangerous. Unlike the European earthworm,
which can help plants by burrowing deeper into the soil and channeling rainwater towards their roots,
the Asian worm remains near the surface, eating everything. This affects maple trees by removing
a protective layer for their shallow roots, causing stress and opening them up to infection.
Furthermore, as Josef Görres, a soil scientist at the University of Vermont,
told NPR, the lack of the duff layer means deer will begin to scavenge
on sapling maple trees, worsening the decline of maple trees in general.
Taken together, Görres gives a speculative forecast of syrup
production decreasing over the next century.
While the worry over invasive jumping worms is warranted, they only represent the latest
threat to the production of maple syrup. There were other problems to begin with,
having to do with the broader collapse of the environment.
In June, WPTZ, a local news station covering the northern parts of New York and Vermont's
Champlain Valley, reported that Vermont once again was the country's leading producer in maple syrup,
despite the overall 21% drop in the state's production. Allison Hope,
the executive director of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association, explained,
"Folks were anywhere from 50 to 75% of a normal crop across the board this season."
"Generally, across the board, it seems like a less-than-average year
in terms of the syrup production."
The decline in maple syrup production has been due in part to the warmer winters of recent years.
Treehugger reported on a 2018 study connecting the lack of sustained seasonal snow coverage
with a 40% slowing of maple tree growth. And when the snowpack is more like it used to be,
the trees aren't able to handle it as well as they used to.
It's certainly possible that the trees could adjust and adapt to these changes in climate,
but the future of the industry is bleak as the conditions of its operation
rely on what remains an open question. The changes in snowfall compounded with
the destruction of the topsoil by those pesky worms could be very bad news for your Eggos.
But before things get too bleak, it's worth noting that not all hope is lost. In May, Science Friday
reported on news that researchers in New Hampshire were studying ways to produce syrup from other
types of trees. After all, an entire industry that relies on only one type of tree is on shaky ground
in the event of problems like, say, invasive worms or reduced growth from climate change.
David Moore, researcher at the University of New Hampshire,
sees the American beech as a possible supplement. This research comes on the
heels of Moore's business experiment The Crooked Chimney, which sold beech, birch, hophornbeam,
sycamore, and walnut syrup before Moore pursued a graduate degree in 2015.
The University of New Hampshire explained in a 2019 profile that Moore's studies consist
of developing syrup-making techniques and understanding the conditions that promote
sweet syrups in other types of trees. Birch trees begin their production in the warmer weather
at the end of maple season, which would lend itself to a warming climate. But
their yield period is five weeks shorter, so there's still some experimenting to do.
Beech syrup, in particular, is surging. In March, The New York State government
even passed legislation that set a clear regulatory framework for the product,
especially in terms of advertising. State Sen. Michelle Hinchey said in
a press release that if you buy beech syrup in New York, you know what you're getting:
"Real beech syrup has one simple ingredient — pure sap from the beech tree."
So while maple syrup may struggle in the coming years,
the industry could still survive. There'll likely be something to put on those pancakes.
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