New Hampshire Maple Syrup Industry Faces Tough Times Ahead

New Hampshire's maple syrup industry is facing a growing risk from climate change. Unpredictable weather, drought, and rising temperatures are making it harder to tap trees and resulting in lower sap yields.

During a maple syrup industry advocacy event held in March at Lakes Region Community College, Maple Producers President Andrew Chisholm shared reports from maple syrup producers around the Granite State.

“The trees just aren't running. And if they are running, they're running incredibly slow,” said Chisholm in a statement shared with The Laconia Daily Sun. “The warming days have been a factor in prior years, but this year, we have that traditional winter, but now we're seeing the drought impacts that are starting to hit.”

Some farms have reported sharply reduced sap collection in 2025. One farm saw its yield plummet to approximately 2 ounces per day per tap, versus other producers at nearly 22 ounces per day.

Economic pressures are also adding to the strain, including tariffs and delays in Canada-bound maple containers that disrupted storage and preparation ahead of the state's annual Maple Weekend celebration.

“We went 15 months with no containers for maple syrup. People were scrambling left and right. A lot got put into bulk barrels, and it was just really a challenge,” Chisholm said to The Laconia Daily Sun.

The Climate Impacts Maple Dinner, held March 26, was sponsored by the League of Conservation Voters, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the New Hampshire Chapter of the Sierra Club, in partnership with Lakes Region Community College's Community Table.

According to Rob Werner, the state director of the League of Conservation Voters, the dinner aimed to raise awareness of industry struggles and the climate change impacts on the maple industry.

The experiential dinner, prepared by the Hospitality Club at LRCC, featured maple syrup as the star. It also highlighted local culinary talent and maple syrup-centered dishes, underscoring maple syrup's cultural and economic importance in New Hampshire.

State leaders, including Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Rep. Chris Pappas, voiced their support for maple syrup producers, stressing climate-change risks to this iconic New Hampshire industry.