On Al Gore and maple sugar | Business | Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Reasonable people can debate and discuss the reasons for the globe’s warming trend as demonstrated by such things as melting glaciers around the planet. But one thing that’s irrefutable - global warming is going to mess up the timing of New York State Maple Producers Association’s annual Maple Weekend, held in March.

According to new Cornell University research, maple syrup production in the Northeast is expected to slightly decline by 2100 and the time for tapping maple trees for their sap will move up by about a month.

Currently, maple tapping is about an eight-week window in late winter and early spring. By 2100, maple tapping will likely be closer to Christmas, according to Brian Chabot, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and a co-author of a paper on climate changes and maple sugar production that appeared earlier this year in the journal Climate Change.