Maple Syrup and Climate Change, Sustainable Agriculture
MAPLE SYRUP and CLIMATE CHANGE
Vermont is the leading producer of maple syrup in the U.S. But could this change with the impacts of climate change? A recent study looks at changes in sap flow and sugar formulation as trees adapt to a changing climate. The study states that there is a “Potential change in sugar maple habitat and syrup production,” and that the “sugar maple habitat is expected to decline in most parts of its current range by 2100, although being a long-lived species, it remains to be seen how a decline in suitable habitat translates to a decline in abundance by then.”
The authors concluded that “In the end, these results illustrate a broader application of considering climate change vulnerabilities of species alongside important ecosystem services, and can facilitate adaptability planning of forest resources in the face of accelerating climate change.”
Read the full report at: .
In the recently published A Precautionary Tale, author and Green Mountain College professor Philip Ackerman Leist recounts how Mals, a remote agricultural city in the Italian Alps, became the first place in the world to ban pesticides. Thanks to a diverse cast of characters, from farmers to doctors, the town voted to protect its organic crops from nearby “Big Apple” pesticide-intensive apple producers. Ackerman-Leist, who founded the college’s farm and sustainable agriculture curriculum, draws upon his own experience as a farmer in the Italian region, and currently on his South Pawlet farm.
Learn more at http://bit.ly/A-Precautionary-Tale.
Content information from Vermont Research Newsletter of March 21, 2018, reprinted with permission from the Center for Research on Vermont.
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