The utility of using sugar maple tree-ring data to reconstruct maple syrup production in New York

Maple syrup production is both an economically and culturally important industry in the northeastern U.S., and the commercial harvest of the temperature-sensitive sap has occurred for several centuries. A significant decline in maple syrup yield has been associated with warming spring temperatures during the critical sugaring period, and increases in summer drought frequencies. What is unknown, however, is how this current decline compares within the range of variability expected for a broader range of crops. Few sugar maple tree-ring chronologies from the northeastern U.S. exist, yet the potential utility of this species is high.;This project will be the first to incorporate and employ dendrochronological techniques to develop maple syrup yield reconstructions. This project is designed to investigate correlations between statewide tree growth and maple syrup production using data collected from multiple sites in New York State and determine if these relationships can be modeled to reconstruction historical yields. Thus, this project will help promote the effectiveness of using tree-ring data to predict agricultural yields, which will ultimately provide farmers additional information about crop yield cycles. This knowledge will in turn help determine appropriate management methods for sugarbush operators during less optimal climatological conditions.