Maple Syrup Research Paper

Introduction The definition of sustainability “is the ability to continue a defined behavior indefinitely.” (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987) In the way of geography, this means that the earth will never stop producing this resource, no matter how much we take of it, there will always be more. An example of a non-renewable or non-sustainable resource would be something such as coal while an example of a sustainable resource would be solar power. The resource I chose, maple syrup, is also an example of a
Sustainable resource. This resource is sustainable because you first harvest maple syrup from Maple trees, which are a sustainable resource, and as long as that tree stays healthy no matter how much we take of the sap,

Maple syrup is produced here because there are good growing conditions for maple trees. Sugar maple trees require four hours of full sunlight minimum everyday for it to grow properly and produce lots of sap. The best time of year to harvest maple syrup is late autumn early winter, “for the sugar maple's sap to run at all requires cooperative weather — freezing nights followed by warmer days.”(Biello, David, 2009). The cold winter mornings make the tree take water in from the roots, as the temperature rises it puts pressure on the tree and starts pushing sap out of any cracks or holes in the tree. The reason the water the tree takes in turns into sap is because maple trees store starch in their roots and in their trunks, which is then transformed into sap as the tree pushes it out. When sap is first tapped out of the trees it looks almost like water, it is a clear flowing liquid. Only after boiling it and evaporating most of the water in the sap does it turn into a thicker brown substance. Out of the amount harvested and produced from Canada in 1995, 90% was from Quebec, 5% was from Ontario, 4% was from New Brunswick, and 1% was from Nova Scotia (Werner, Leo,

Many sugar maple trees grow here and it is home to a large maple syrup factory. As you can see from the graph is there is a good amount of precipitation in late fall, this is perfect for the sugar maple trees. If there is more precipitation it allows the trees to bring in more water from its roots and transform it into more sap, which is then made into syrup.

Humans in the Environment

Maple syrup production hardly effects the environment only creating a small amount of pollution during the process. The first step to creating maple syrup is the perfect weather and a sugar maple tree. You must drill a hole in the tree about 2 ½ inches deep on an upward angle, then insert a tap where sap can drip out (unknown, 2009). There will also be a bucket or tubing system that collects all the sap. This part of the process causes no pollution because it is natural, does not hurt the trees, and does not leave behind waste or create fumes. The sap is then transferred to large cool holding tanks until ready to be boiled. Some farms or factories use dried hardwood to fuel the evaporator while some use oil. This is the [art off the maple syrup process that does create pollution but only a very little amount. The syrup is then set in pans, filtered, packaged and sent around the