-Caveat Lector- From HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section: National
Sept. 27, 2002, 7:28PM Warming trend poses threat to maple trees, syrup they produce By JEFF DONN Associated Press FERRISBURGH, Vt. -- Government-sponsored researchers have found statistical evidence that cold-loving maples yield less sap in warmer winters. In keeping with that data, an Associated Press analysis of syrup production over the past eight decades shows a decline in every New England state except Maine -- the only one to buck the warming trend. There is no definitive scientific proof yet that warmer temperatures take even part of the blame. But University of New Hampshire forester Rock Barrett, who oversaw the government report, fears it may already be too late for maple country. "I think the sugar maple industry is on its way out, and there isn't much you can do about that," he says. Syrup is the soul of Vermont. It is said that roughly one in four Vermont trees is a sugar maple. Vermonters made almost 60 percent of New England's 850,000 gallons of syrup this year, according to federal farm data. Every year, as winter begins to melt away, Vermont's sugarhouses come back to life. They puff thick, white smoke from stainless steel evaporators that boil sap down to syrup. Punctuated by vacuum gauges, sap-carrying plastic tubing -- a technology that is replacing suspended buckets -- snakes through thick woods to collection tubs. Vermont kids, as always, freeze maple treats in the snow. In Ferrisburgh, in western Vermont about 60 miles from the Canadian border, the grandchildren of syrup producer Sam Cutting Sr. already are lending a hand in the family business. But the adults wonder if it will eventually be lost to future generations. "It would be devastating, because it has been such a strong part of our heritage," says Cutting's son, also named Sam. Much of New England could lose its maple forests over the next century in favor of the more mundane terrain of oak and hickory dominant in the warmer south, according to scientists who study global warming. Already, over recent decades, most expansion in syrup production has occurred in the north, in colder Quebec. In the past 10 years alone, yearly production there has doubled to satisfy a booming market, now eclipsing the United States fivefold, according to the North American Maple Syrup Council. Over the past 80 years, New England's typical syrup output has dropped by more than half, from over 1.6 million gallons a year to less than 800,000, the AP analysis shows. Syrup has dwindled to a $22 million annual regional business, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Bringing the best minds & resources in the world to Houston. Fundamentals of Tax Preparation Course Trunk Show At Brucettes 25+ Sets Of Used Traditional Kimball Office Furni HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section: National This article is: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/nation/1593675 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A<>E<>R + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Forwarded as information only; I don't believe everything I read or send (but that doesn't stop me from considering it; obviously SOMEBODY thinks it's important) + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + "Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut." --- Ernest Hemingway <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
