When Does Maple Syrup Season Start in Michigan?

And will it arrive early this year?

Considering the fact we've seen record high temperatures for February in West Michigan reaching 61°F on the 8th, anything is possible!

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Maple Syrup in Michigan

According to Pure Michigan when it comes to maple syrup production in Michigan we rank 5th in the nation, producing an average of 82,000 gallons of syrup during any given year.

Which Trees Produce Syrup?

"Sugar Maples" are the preferred tree for this sap collection and are mainly found in the Northeastern portion of the U.S. and southeastern parts of Canada ranging from Ontario to Quebec. Luckily, Michigan is located right in the middle!

Here in The Mitten the Michigan DNR says black, red, and silver Maple trees can also be tapped for syrup production, but the Sugar Maple has the highest sugar to water ratio of 40:1 which is why it's often used in commercial syrup production.

When to Tap

This will come as a shock to absolutely no one: sap and syrup production in Michigan are weather-dependent.

Experts say the best time to tap your tree is at the start of spring or at least during the period w hen nighttime temperatures are below freezing but daytime temperatures are above freezing, the range of 20-40°F seems to be about perfect for harvesting sap.

However, given the recent heatwave we've seen across the state WWMT in Kalamazoo, MI reports some maple trees in the area have already been tapped!

According to News Channel 3 Belote Farms in Climax has already tapped about 550 trees this season and is already in the process of boiling and producing syrup.

If you have a Sugar Maple tree of your own you can try this at home! Watch the video below or click here for instructions on how to turn your sap into a taste of Pure Michigan syrup!