Extension News: February 2008 Archives

brochure series helps landowners learn about and help conserve important wildlife habitats found on their land.

The New Hampshire Wildlife Action Plan: Habitat Stewardship Series brochures cover a variety of habitat types critical for wildlife species at risk in New Hampshire. The first four brochures, available now, focus on grasslands, marsh and shrub wetlands, floodplain forests, and vernal pools.

The colorful brochures include practical information for landowners. Pictures and text explain how to identify habitat types, describe the major threats to the health of those habitats, and offer information about wildlife species that depend on each habitat. The brochures also provide specific recommendations for landowners interested in helping protect and conserve the wildlife that depend on each critical habitat type.

The brochures were produced by UNH Cooperative Extension with support from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the N.H. Fish & Game Department. Landowners may download brochures or receive a single set free through the UNH Forestry Information Center (call 1-800-444-8978, email forest.info@unh.edu).

When complete later this year, the Habitat Stewardship Series will also include brochures on shrublands, northern hardwood forests, oak-pine forests, hemlock forests, and spruce-fir forests.

New Hampshire's first rite of spring

March is maple sugaring time in New Hampshire. This uniquely North American natural phenomenon Nature is not restricted to the calendar like school vacations, holidays or town meeting day, but is dictated solely by day-night weather changes. Cold nights in the 20's followed by warm days when the temperatures go up into the 40's, absent a chilling wind, are the requirements for the sap to run.

Our sugaring season can begin in late February and run into early April and even stop in between. Although sugaring season does coincide with mud season, no one knows how long the season is going to be until after it's over.

Tapping the trees
Although many maple producers still use the traditional bucket-with-spout-and-cover system for tapping their trees, others use high technology plastic tubing and pipeline systems, some of which include vacuum extraction to increase the amount of sap collected. This doesn't hurt trees and keeps the sap-lines empty which helps produce a higher quality sap for high quality maple syrup.

Today's maple producers are also using "health spouts" to lessen the impact of tree-tapping. With the new spouts, trees now heal over in less than one growing season. Regardless of the method of gathering sap, it must be collected after each "run" and boiled as soon and as fast as possible to make the best quality maple syrup.

Note: "Maple producer" is the modern name for what used to be called a "sugarmaker" in the days before containers became commonplace and most syrup was boiled down to the hard sugar for long storage.

"Boiling down"
Sap is "boiled down" in an evaporator, a special pan with flues in it to increase the surface area and speed evaporation. Boiling down has and continues to be the challenge of maple producers everywhere. Before the evaporator was invented, sap was boiled in a series of open kettles, and before then in hollowed out logs with hot rocks dropped in to evaporate the sap.

While some maple producers continue to use open evaporators similar to those that made their debut in the 1880's, others have embraced new technology. Peering inside a modern sugarhouse, a visitor will see an array of sap-processing equipment that may include evaporators with steam hoods, blowers and pre-heaters, and steam-away pans mounted atop a conventional evaporator, using recaptured steam heat to increase the efficiency of the boiling process. These latter systems look more like large boilers in ships than those traditionally found in the sugarhouse. In larger operations, visitors may encounter reverse-osmosis machines that concentrate the sugar content in the sap for later processing in an evaporator. Steam evaporators are also becoming more commonplace.

Maple sap is about 97.5 percent water, 2.4 percent sugar, and 0.1 percent minerals. Sap is made into maple syrup by boiling off the water and concentrating the sugar and minerals in the presence of heat. During the process of evaporation heat causes chemical reactions in the concentrated sap resulting in the characteristic flavor we know as maple syrup. The color and flavor of maple syrup is determined by the freshness of the sap and the speed of boiling.

Pure maple syrup must have a minimum density of 67° Brix, equivalent to boiling maple sap until it is 7.5°F above the boiling point of water. Proper density is important, not only for taste, but also for stability, preventing the syrup from forming crystals or fermenting.

It takes about one cord of dry wood to make 20 gallons of maple syrup. Oil-fired evaporators are gaining in popularity, as they tend to be more efficient and relieve maple producers of the work of cutting wood. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup.

Grading and packaging syrup
Maple syrup is governed by State law with respect to density, color, clarity and flavor. Sap becomes syrup when 33 percent of its water has been removed. During evaporation minerals appear as a sediment known as "sugar sand" or "niter" and are removed by filtering, resulting in a crystal-clear product. Syrup is then packed hot, between 180°F and 190°F, into glass, tinned steel or plastic containers. The hot syrup sterilizes the container to prevent the syrup from spoiling. Whether opened or not, maple syrup should always be kept refrigerated if possible.

Maple syrup is graded by color, flavor, and clarity. All table syrup is Grade A and all syrup must be the same density. Grade A-Light Amber maple syrup is "light" in color with a delicate flavor and requires considerable skill to make. It is usually made from the earlier "runs" when the sugar content is highest and daytime temperatures keep the sap cool. Grade A-Medium Amber has a richer flavor and Dark Amber, popular for cooking, is even stronger. Pure maple syrup contains no additives or preservatives.

Maple syrup is made into several other products by boiling it beyond the syrup stage in conjunction with other procedures (stirring, cooling) to produce taffy, cream, candy and sugar. Nothing is added, the end product is pure maple. These products are usually made from the light- and medium-colored syrups.

Syrup-making: Our first rite of spring
The maple season is an age-old tradition, part of our rural heritage. Stop by a sugar house--the sweet steam coming out the roof vent is your invitation to go in and visit. Even on chilly nights when the sap is being boiled, the evaporator provides warmth with the pleasant aroma of maple syrup in the brisk night air.

To find a sugarhouse to visit or to purchase maple products, contact the New Hampshire Maple Producers Association through their Web site or call the NH Maple Phone at 603-225-3757 for sugarhouse brochures and information about Maple Weekend, Saturday, March 29 and Sunday March 30.

Nominate a young N.H. maple producer for the Felker Award
The Walter A. Felker Memorial Award, promotes and encourages an interest in the production and marketing of high-quality maple products. The competition is open to New Hampshire residents younger than 18 years of age by the June application deadline.

The award winner receives a permanent plaque engraved to recognize their achievement as well as a $100 cash prize. Download the flyer for information about criteria and application for the Felker Award.

By Sumner Dole, Belknap County Extension forest resources educator emeritus

How to make maple syrup
The Basic ABC's of Maple Sugaring
Maple Syrup Quality Control Manual
Hobby Maple Syrup Production
Maple Producers Manual (order form)

Learn more
NH Maple Producers
Visit A Sugarhouse
Learn to make sugar on snow

Audio and Video
Maple Sugaring with writer Lois Shea and NHPR (audio)
Maple Videos (requires RealPlayer)
The How, When, Why of Forest Farming (click on the maple module)

N.H. Maple Events
NH Maple Producer's listings

National program focuses on building wealth, not debt

We invite New Hampshire residents to "save more, reduce debt" by joining with other Americans nationwide in the second annual America Saves--New Hampshire Saves campaign. Register now to become a New Hampshire Saver and be entered in our drawing for a $50 U.S. Savings Bond (there will be two winners).

Your challenge: find a way to save money, then do it.
Unfortunately, the national trend is to borrow more and save less. The nation's personal savings rate has declined to less than one percent for the third year in a row. A recent study commissioned by Consumer Credit Counseling Service, revealed that overall consumer debt increased 38 percent for households at all income levels in recent years.

How do we turn this trend around?
Do what works! A few ideas: save something out of every paycheck, no matter how much or how little. Have the money automatically deposited into a savings account or your 401(k) plan at work if you have one. Save some of your tax refund or part of your next raise.

Our UNH Cooperative Extension family resource management team is dedicated to helping individuals and families increase savings, decrease debt, and increase confidence in managing their finances. Get started by browsing the informative 66 Ways to Save Money.

Commit to saving; make your decision concrete and specific
Then commit to the challenge of becoming a New Hampshire Saver by filling out our online form--a contract with yourself that makes your decision to save concrete and specific.

Anyone who submits a form will receive the quarterly America Saves newsletter and other information from the national program in addition to receiving a "Where To Find The Money You Need Calculator" free (while supplies last).

Save a little; end up with a lot
Some people think they need to win the lottery or receive an inheritance before they will ever be able to save. Can saving $5 or $10 a week really make a difference?

Yes! Imagine a couple buying two coffees each per day because they believe neither one of them can make a decent cup of coffee. Four coffees a day, seven days a week at $1.79 each adds up to more than $2,600 a year. This represents a significant portion of their yearly electrical bill or payment towards an outstanding medical bill.

Cutting their coffee purchases in half by improving their home coffee-brewing skills would free up more than $1,300 in one year this couple could add to their savings. Try this coffee calculator to see how much you might save. To solve a disappearing dollar mystery in your household, download The Disappearing Dollar.

Participants in our Extension money management educational programs often comment on the value of writing a savings goal, and learning how saving a little bit of money goes a long way toward helping them to achieve that goal.

To learn more about how money grows over time and how little you'll need to grow an emergency fund of $5,000 or a nest egg of $100,000 or more, check out The Time Value of Money.

Cooperative Extension has money management info and programs for you
Our Family & Consumer Resources educators offer numerous workshops throughout the year that help individuals and families improve their money management skills. Download Maximizing Your Personal Finances for details.

Visit Managing Money for information on a variety of topics. If you have questions about any of our money management programs, or for printed copies of any of the articles mentioned above, contact the Family & Consumer Resources educator in your county, or call our Family, Home & Garden Information Center Info Line toll free at 1-877-398-4769.

3rd annual Grazing Conference March 8

The daylong event will feature two nationally known grazing experts: Jim Gerrish, author of Management-intensive Grazing and columnist for the Stockman-Grass Farmer, and Sarah Flack, a grazing specialist and organic farmer from Vermont.

Gerrish will deliver the keynote address on the topic of Yeah, but that will never work on my place! also lead two workshops: Stock Density-the Most Powerful Tool in the Grazier's Toolbox and Extending the Grazing Season for More Money in Your Pocket. Flack will conduct a two-part workshop on Getting Started with Managed Intensive Grazing.

The afternoon sessions will focus on marketing grass-fed products. Featured speakers include grass farmers Ridge Shinn, Matt & Beth LeClair, Jim & Adele Hayes, and Ed Jackson.

Conference sponsors: Granite State Graziers, Natural Resources Conservation Service and UNH Cooperative Extension.

Download a brochure containing full conference schedule and speaker bios.

Register for the conference online

This spring about 1,000 New Hampshire landowners will slice the newly-defrosted ground to create thousands of welcoming holes for tree and shrub seedlings bought from the State Forest Nursery.

Howie Lewis, nursery forester, calls his nearly 40-acre nursery one of New Hampshire's best- kept secrets. Lewis says the nursery produces a unique product.

"We provide something nobody else does – tree and shrub seedlings native to New Hampshire, with seeds picked from specimens grown right here in the state. When you buy from the state forest nursery, you know the plant is suited to grow here."

A century-old enterprise
In operation in Boscawen since 1910, the nursery grows more than 50 species of trees and shrubs for reforestation, Christmas trees, and wildlife, and sells them at affordable prices. Seedlings, sold on a first come-first served basis, include conifers such as white, red and Scotch pine, Norway, blue, red, and white spruce, concolor, balsam, fraser and douglas fir, and hemlock.

The nursery offers many deciduous species as well, including arrow-wood, crabapple, fragrant sumac, grapes, highbush cranberry, dogwood, rose, nannyberry, beach plum, elderberry, winterberry holly, bayberry, hazelnut, red oak, cedar, sugar maple and white ash.

Special deals
Special "packages," each containing an assortment of 25 shrubs and/or trees, include a Christmas tree sampler, as well as wildlife-and-songbird, wetlands, native species, and winter survival packages.

"This is a very popular program," says Hillsborough County Cooperative Extension Forester Jon Nute. "The seedlings are usually two to four years old, up to 24 inches tall, including the roots, and you can easily hold about a dozen in one hand."

"Some first-time buyers come expecting to pick up large potted landscape-type shrubs and are a little shocked when you hand them a bundle of 50 pine seedlings that can easily fit into a shopping bag," says Nute. "However, these small seedlings are hardy and easy to plant and just great to use in reforestation projects, windbreaks, and Christmas tree plantations."

Ready to order?
Individuals can order seedlings from January 1 through March 30 each year in quantities of 10, 25 or 100 per bundle, with costs ranging from 25 cents to $1.00 per seedling, with the seedlings distributed for planting at the end of April.

"When you're in the nursery business, spring starts a different time each year," says Lewis, "So we ship to a county pickup point in late April or early May, whenever the seedlings can be lifted from the ground. We work throughout the year getting ready for the spring shipment and hope we have many new customers this year." Customers receive a card in the mail announcing the pick-up dates.

Order early! We've just let New Hampshire's best-kept secret out of the bag.

By Karen Bennett, UNH Cooperative Extension Forest Resources Specialist

More information:

• View the State Nursery catalog and order online.


• To receive a catalog, contact the N.H. State Nursery, N.H. Division of
  Forests and Lands, P.O. Box 1856, Concord, NH 03302-1856, or call 603-271-3456.


• Planting and Care of Tree Seedlings


• Establishing the Christmas Tree Plantation