Justin Butcher taps 6,000 maple trees each year on his family farm in Mount Vernon.
"Weather 100% determines what type of season we have. Last couple of years we've had some really warm days in the month of February, which has ended our season earlier than normal. This year we're on pace to have a more traditional year. It's stayed colder," Butcher said.
He co-owns Butcher Family Maple Products. The sap is sucked from the trees, transported through plastic lines and into pump houses before being sent to the sugar house where it is transformed into syrup, sugar, spread, candy and even mixed into coffee grounds. During peak season, Butcher said sap producers need it to freeze at night and thaw during the day.
Les Ober works in Geauga County as the Agriculture and Natural Resources Program Coordinator for The Ohio State University Extension. He said heavy amounts of rain, droughts and extremely warm summers can affect sugar content.
"We can't really pin this to climate change because we don't know if climate change is actually occurring, but what we can do is we can start looking at the way we produce syrup and how we manage our systems to adapt to what's going on in the environment,” said Ober.
Other factors like the timber industry and insects may pose an even greater risk. Butcher said they've already felt the effects of insects.
"The Emerald Ash Borer has attacked all of our ash trees and has actually killed them, so what we're facing now is that we have a bunch of dead ash trees in our woods. They're falling on to our lines every time the wind blows, so it creates a risk for us working in the woods," Butcher said.
Butcher also said squirrels are a significant challenge. When the weather warms, squirrels will often chew through the transport lines and it can be difficult locating which lines need to be replaced.
Butcher said it's best to adapt. He said he receives a lot of help from family and friends.
“All my friends think I'm crazy, but they keep coming back, so I must be doing something right,” he said.