Category Archives: Non-Timber Forest Products

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is considering placing a levy on each Christmas trees sold in the United States, whether they were grown in the U.S. or whether they were imported.

The levy would be collected and would be used to promote the sale of real trees over artificial ones. The promotions would likely be seen on TV ads, billboards and other promotional campaigns in the U.S.

The levy is supported by the Canadian Christmas Tree Growers Association, including the Christmas Tree Council of Nova Scotia, and similar organizations in the U.S.

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The mild weather has sap flowing in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia for two weeks already.

Paul MacKenzie, of Highland Gold Maple Products, said he knew something was up in January and he starting tapping his trees two to three weeks earlier than normal.

MacKenzie said it usually takes 12 days to tap roughly 8,000 trees.

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Someone broke into a sugar shack in Quebec‘s Eastern Townships and made off with eight barrels of maple syrup containing about 15,000 litres, worth an estimated $16,000 to $18,000.

As the price of maple syrup has been increasing, so have the thefts of syrup and equipment.

Some syrup producers are bringing all their syrup home rather than leaving it in their shacks in the woods. Another producer told CBC News he has not only been locking his shack, he’s also been parking his pickup truck against the door.

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Nova Scotia was hoping for a great season for its Christmas Tree growers (see previous ForestTalk coverage).

Christmas Trees are a big business in Nova Scotia, and much of the growers’ income comes from the export of Christmas Trees.

This year the growers were hoping for a profitable season because the gas prices are down, and the exchange rate is in their favour. The weather was also mild this fall in Nova Scotia allowing many growers to harvest their Christmas Trees before the snow fell.

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Christmas trees are big business in Nova Scotia. It’s a $36 million dollar industry, with wreaths and greens generating another $5 million – plus the spin-offs in trucking, fuel and equipment involved in shipping and exporting the trees to the U.S.

This year is shaping up to be a great season for the 1500+ growers in the province.

“Last year we were hit bad: digging trees out of the snow, the dollar was down the tubes, diesel was way up and that drove wages and costs up,” he says. “This year, as soon as the season started to firm up, the dollar turned, fuels costs went down and we started making back the money we lost in the last few years,” said Black Rock grower Steve Bezanson.

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OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FOREST BIO-ECONOMY

“Solutions at the Community Level”

Dorion, Ontario is hosting the above conference on June 2, 9-6pm. Registration is only $25 and seating is limited. Two breaks and a lunch are included in the registration fee.

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Maple syrup producers on St. Joseph’s Island, Ontario (near Sault Ste. Marie) have had a below average syrup producing season so far.

According to some producers, the syruping season was late in starting, lacked the required cold nights and didn’t see the usual mid-season snowfall.

Today’s Sault Star is reporting that Ontario’s largest maple syrup producer, Gilbertson Enterprises, located on St. Joseph’s Island, is reporting a 20% drop from last year’s production, where others are hearing that producers are reporting a 50-75% below average production this season across Ontario and Quebec.

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Some researchers believe that on-going climate change will boost Canada’s maple syrup market. Since the 1970′s, Canada’s maple syrup market has more than tripled, leaving sugarmakers in the United States struggling to compete.

The Christian Science Monitor reports that Canada’s increasing production of maple syrup has resulted from generous government subsidies, aggressive promotion campaigns, and possibly, from climate change.

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