Workshops to help landowners tap maple business

A series of seven free workshops in six Northern New York counties next month will focus on helping more landowners get into the maple business to increase syrup production.

"New York's six northernmost counties have enough maple trees to grow the region's maple syrup production into a $10 million industry annually, and it's up to landowners to make this happen," Michael L. Farrell, director of Cornell University's Uihlein Sugar Maple Research and Extension Field Station at Lake Placid, said in a release.

The "Get Involved in Maple" workshops, scheduled from Oct. 7 to 20, will help landowners determine the feasibility of tapping maple trees themselves or leasing the properties to a maple producer.

Participants can learn whether they could qualify for an agricultural tax assessment benefit. Participants also will be given a list of maple producers interested in buying sap or leasing trees.

"We're gearing it toward landowners who may have an interest," Mr. Farrell said in a telephone interview.

The idea for the workshop series stemmed, in part, from a maple supply study done earlier this year by Cornell University on behalf of Lewis County to determine the feasibility of a maple packing facility, he said.

"It's one of the outcomes of doing that research," Mr. Farrell said.

That study showed, among other things, a relatively high interest among surveyed landowners of leasing their land for maple production, he said.

Mr. Farrell has estimated the annual maple industry revenue for Lewis, Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton and Essex counties is about $3.25 million, but would be about $10 million if, as in Vermont, 2 percent of the region's maple trees were tapped.

Current county-by-county utilization rates are: Clinton, 1.78 percent; Lewis, 1.53 percent; St. Lawrence, 0.46 percent; Jefferson, 0.32 percent; Essex 0.20 percent, and Franklin, 0.17 percent.

The workshops are being funded by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program and co-sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension, Cornell University Maple Program, New York State Maple Producers Association and New York Forest Owners Association.

All seven workshops will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

The first three will be Oct. 7 in Lake Placid, Oct. 8 in Chazy and Oct. 13 in Westport, while the final four will be as follows:

■ Oct. 14 at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County, 203 N. Hamilton St., Watertown. Contact Michael Hunter at 788-8450 or meh27@cornell.edu.

■ Oct. 15 at CCE of Lewis County, 5274 outer Stowe Street, Lowville. Contact Michele Ledoux at 376-5270 or mel14@cornell.edu.

■ Oct. 19 at the Franklin County 911 Emergency Response Building, 55 Bare Hill Road, Malone. Contact Richard Gast at 518-483-7403 or rlg24@cornell.edu.

■ Oct. 20 at the CCE Learning Farm Classroom, 1894 Route 68, Canton. Contact Anita Morrill at 379-9192 or amr28@cornell

.edu.

A Web seminar on the subject will be offered at noon and 7 p.m. Wednesday. A high-speed Internet connection and pre-registration at www.forest

connect.info are required. Contact Mr. Farrell at 518-523-9337 or mlf36@cornell.edu for more information.