Maple Syrup and Our Environment

Catalog description

This class will explore maple syrup production—both by way of micro production and as the yield of larger scale agriculture--as the product of a delicately strung web of environmental factors. As such, this hands-on and in-the-woods exploration of how maple syrup is produced will involve integrally related environmental topics and issues such as climate change, forest ecology, invasive species, and broader issues of sustainability. Through both classroom lecture and practical exercises in the woods, students will learn tree identification, the biology of sap production, the role of weather patterns, nutritional benefits of maple syrup, and the history of maple syrup production and its economic significance. Students will learn and actually carry out the processes of identifying trees for tapping, harvesting sap, and converting the harvested sap into their very own maple syrup. Students will learn outdoor preparedness, leave no trace wilderness ethics, and use of snowshoes for winter foot- travel. *Note: See Course Notes for additional details on class meeting times.* **Fee: A course fee applied via SFS bill. See Course Notes for course fee information.**