Since 55% of the land cover in Carroll County is forested, there is tremendous potential for landowners in the county to engage with their forests and woodlands in productive ways.   One such way is through the production of maple syrup.  While maple syrup is most often associated with Canada or northeastern states like Vermont, Kentucky’s climate does create the conditions necessary for producing maple syrup.  Many small-scale producers across the state have already begun to tap into this resource and produce their own maple syrup, but education remains a significant barrier to expanding awareness of the interesting and exciting practice of maple sugaring.

The Carroll County Cooperative Extension Service teamed up with two area parks to begin that educational endeavor: General Butler State Resort Park and Camp Kysoc, both located in Carrollton.  Under the guidance of Boone County agent Lacey Kessell, we started by tapping just three trees: two at the state park and one at Camp Kysoc.  We then hosted a maple tapping demonstration at the state park, during which Melanie Evans, a naturalist at General Butler, and I discussed the history and science of maple sugaring.  

We tapped two more trees at the state park during this demonstration for a total of five tapped trees.   This event was well attended, drawing 18 people from across 6 counties (Carroll, Henry, Shelby, Oldham, Jefferson, and Indiana’s Clark County) and 2 states (Kentucky and Indiana) – a clear sign of the public’s interest in maple sugaring!  Two of those attendees even borrowed sap collectors from our office to begin collecting sap on their own property.  Their efforts then inspired a neighbor to do the same, so we know that the tapping demonstration has had immediate, measurable outcomes.

A single tap can provide as much as 20 gallons of sap, so a collaborative effort was necessary to collect and freeze the sap until it could be evaporated to produce syrup.  Representatives from both Extension and the state park helped to collect the sap, which we were fortunate to be able to store in a freezer at General Butler.  To further educate the public on the potential for maple syrup production in Carroll County, we began evaporating the sap on a homemade evaporator during a University of Kentucky basketball game watch hosted at the extension office.   

13 people attended this event, one of whom has expressed interest in tapping trees on her property next winter.  Evaporating sap is a time-consuming process, but doing so at the office has created many opportunities for further education.  Many more have asked about maple sugaring since the initial cook-down event, and we have already begun building a contact list of people interested in the subject for next winter.  I am excited to see where this program goes in the future and for the potential of maple syrup production in Carroll County!