Quebec’s Maple Industry

by David Pye
May 29th, 2009

See It Before It’s Gone: The world’s maple syrup bounty

WHEN THE WINTER snows begin to melt in late February, Quebecers usher in spring with the ageless tradition of “sugaring off”—the public side of Quebec’s global-leading $180-million maple industry, with production topping 75 million pounds of syrup annually. The industry is comprised of 7,300 Quebec producers who tap into their maple groves each spring for some of the finest sap on the planet. But warmer winters are shortening their season—and threatening their livelihood.

TIME LEFT Studies launched in 2000 are monitoring the long-term effects of environmental change on the maple industry. Evening freeze—an essential precursor to morning thaws that unleash the flow of sap—is less frequent and acid rain affects the soil that feeds the maple groves. Newly emerging species of insects also threaten the health of the traditional maple tree.

SEE IT Sucrerie de la Montagne, located 45 minutes west of Montréal near the town of Rigaud, is a Quebec Heritage Site. The mountaintop sugar house oozes authenticity, with mouth-watering Quebecois cuisine like smoked maple ham, meatball stew, pea soup and pulled taffy on a bed of snow.

SAVE IT At the Fédération des producteurs acéricoles du Québec, agronomist and economist Jean-Pierre Bellegarde is working hard to anticipate the effects of environmental change and to ensure the sustainability of this unique Quebec industry.

This story was originally published in the June 2007 issue of up! magazine as part of the See It Before It’s Gone feature, profiling 14 of Canada’s must-see natural and man-made tourist attractions on the brink of extinction. Enlighten yourself about the other 13 sites not to miss in these WestJet destinations: