Extra snowy winter leads to perfect conditions for springtime maple tree tapping at Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

CHASKA, Minn. – Spring is maple tree tapping season. And on Sunday, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum celebrated MapleFest, where visitors got see firsthand how syrup is made from the 380 trees on site.

"It's cool, it's interesting. It's nice to learn about honestly," said arboretum visitor John Spolar.

Horticulturalist Richard DeVries showed the crowds on Sunday how their machine takes the sap they collect, and removes all the water from it, until only the sugary syrup is left.

"We can evaporate about 100 gallons per hour," said DeVries.

Spring is the perfect time to tap trees for sap, but success is fully dependent on the weather.

"It needs to freeze at night, like in the 20s, and then be in the 40s during the day, or at least above freezing during the day," said DeVries. "The tree builds up pressure and that's when we can collect the sap."

While it's been one of Minnesota's snowiest winters on record, all of early snowpack insulated the ground and made for a great maple production season because the ground did freeze up and dry.

"Now like all the snow is going to melt and the trees will have plenty of access to water," said DeVries.

More groundwater leads to more sap, and right now DeVries and his team have 700 gallons of sap to cook down, and the season has only just started.

"We have so much sap right now, every collection tank that we have is full," said DeVries.

The sweet smell of sugar fills their forests for now, until it's replaced by what grows here next.

"By the time maple syrup season wraps up, the first wild flowers will be flowering, all the snow will be gone," said DeVries. "It's kind of like you're really part of spring."

The weather conditions have been so good this year, they expect to be tapping through the end of April. So there's still a chance to go to the arboretum's Sugar House. Click here for more information.