Emerald Ash Borer in Mifflin County

Folks,

Disturbing news. Emerald ash borer has been discovered in Mifflin County. To quote Don Eggen, Forest health manager for the DCNR Bureau of Forestry “Emerald ash borer has been discovered in Central Pennsylvania in Mifflin County. The infestation has most likely been there for several years. We will be coordinating our DCNR efforts with the PA Emerald Ash Borer Task Force. The infestation was reported by a landowner who sent digital photos to our Pennsylvania badbug@state.pa.us email address. The infestation was confirmed after a site visit by PA Dept. of Ag and DCNR Div. of Forest Pest Management staff last week. I think this highlights the importance of public outreach and education”

Greg Hoover of the Dept. of Entomology, College of Ag Sciences reports, “I’ve been told that an EAB Extension training session conducted for master gardeners in Mifflin County resulted in one of the master gardeners in attendance placing the EAB information at the training session on their blog. A Mifflin County resident saw the EAB information on this master gardener’s blog and then contacted authorities. I think this indeed highlights the importance of Penn State Cooperative Extension, public outreach and education.”

You folks are on the front line in not only this effort with EAB but others as well. Don’t hesitate to contact your local DCNR Bureau of Forestry office, Regional Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture office, or County Extension office if you suspect you have seen this critter, D-shaped exit holes or other suspicious characteristics. You may also send photos to the above email. I would just as soon make a trip to look at a suspicious tree that turned out not to be EAB than to have you not call me. I know the DCNR and other Extension folks feel the same way! Please keep a look out, especially for "D" shaped exit holes. For more information visit the Bradford County Extension website and scroll down to the photo of the emerald ash borer, clicking on that photo will take you to an "EAB" informational site. Mifflin County has been added to the quarantine list along with Mercer, Beaver, Lawrence, Butler and Allegheny Counties.

Endless Mtns. Maple Syrup Weekend

The Endless Mountains Maple Syrup Producers Maple Weekend will be Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22 from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Visitors to participating maple producers' sugar houses will be made especially welcome. Please plan on participating. For an informational brochure visit the Bradford County Extension Website, go to the natural resources page and then the forestry page and scroll to you find the maple weekend link.

Participating maple syrup producers include:
Endless Mountains Cabin Maple Syrup, Rome,PA
Seldom Seen Farm, Rome, PA
White Barn Farm, Rome, PA
Wriseley Land Maple, Burlington, PA
Dewy Meadows Maple, Warren Center, PA
Bradley - Mann Maple, Gillett, PA
Cabot Hollow Maple, Columbia Cross Roads, PA
Roloson Bros. Maple, Troy, PA
Richard Tice Maple, Troy, PA
Browns Syrup Shack, Rome, PA
Marty's Maple, East Smithfield, PA
Loch's Maple, Springville, PA

The Northwest Maple Association has their weekend March 14 and 15 and the Potter-Tioga Association weekend is March 28 and 29.

Time to make syrup

One of the first signs that spring is out there is seeing steam rising from a sugar house or sugar shack as a maple producer boils down maple sap to make sweet, Pennsylvania maple syrup. As the temperatures begin to moderate in February the sugar maker makes preparations for the maple sugar season. He/She will check the tubing lines and make repairs in the equipment. When the weather forecasts predicts a series of warm, sunny days (generally above 40 degrees) and just below freezing nights the sugar maker will go out into his/her woods (or sugar bush) and begin to tap the trees. The season can begin as early as mid-February but generally it is late February and sometimes as late as early March. The season generally lasts until the end of March but sometimes it can end sooner. A sugar maker will drill a 5/16” hole about 1 ½ “ deep at a slight upward angle into the sap wood of the sugar maple tree. Then he/she will lightly tap the spile or spout into the hole. The “tap” will be connected to a dropline and the dropline will be connected to a lateral line that will have about five or six taps on that line. The lateral lines will run to a larger mainline that will carry the sap to a collection tank. The collection tank is sometimes right at the sugar house. Most of the time, though, the collection tanks are located along a road and the sugar maker must take his tractor and trailer to the collection tanks and pump the slightly sweet sap (maybe averaging about 2% sugar content) into his trailer tank. Then he/she takes the sap to the sugar house where it will be processed.

Processing consists of boiling the sap. As the water evaporates the sugar becomes more and more concentrated and chemical reactions occur during the boiling process that gives the syrup its distinctive color and special maple flavor. The sap becomes syrup when it reaches 66% sugar. The producer then can store the syrup in food grade barrels or bottled into containers for sale. The syrup is packed hot, about 180 degrees to make sure it is absolutely sterile.

If you are fortunate enough to pass a sugar house and see steam rising, feel free to stop in. You will be welcome. The sweet smell of making maple will stay with you. Enjoy the great taste of 100% pure Pennsylvania Maple Syrup. You will likely never go back to artificial syrup. For a real treat visit a sugar house during Maple Weekend. In Northwest Pennsylvania the weekend is March 14 and 15. In the Endless Mountains it is Saturday and Sunday March 21 and 22. In Potter and Tioga Counties it will be Saturday and Sunday March 28 and 29. For more information on maple syrup and where you can purchase pure maple products go to http://maplesyrup.cas.psu.edu.