A maple syrup bottle in the store at Inthewoods Sugar Bush. PC: Fox 11 Online
TOWN OF MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — For nearly eight decades, tapping maple trees has signified the beginning of spring in Manitowoc County.
Jesse Wagner, owner of Inthewoods Sugar Bush in Manitowoc County, is a third-generation maple syrup producer. He makes about 2,000 of the nearly 500,000 gallons produced annually in Wisconsin — the fourth-most of any state.
In 2024, his maple syrup production began nearly a month early. He first tapped trees Feb. 2 and was making syrup just two days later.
“Last year, on March 4, 2024, we had 650 gallons of syrup made already,” said Wagner.
But this year, Inthewoods Sugar Bush has just begun the process. Suboptimal weather conditions have meant a slower start to the season.
Temperatures into the 40s during the day and mid-to-upper 20s at night are ideal for the flow of sap. Snow cover also leads to increased production as it protects from frost.
“I wish we had two or three feet of snow in the woods,” said Wagner. “That extends our seasons. The snow in the woods keeps our woods cool.”
The season sometimes begins in early February and ends in April, or the trees may only bear sap in March. It’s all based on weather.
“Maple syrup is 100% reliant on mother nature,” said Wagner. “If we get a bunch of warm weather at the end of March, where it’s 60 degrees or even a 70-degree day, that’ll shut us down… We just cross our fingers and hope for a good day.”
Syrup production first begins with drilling a hole in the tree, strategically spaced around the circumference of the tree.
“That keeps the tree nice and healthy,” said Wagner. “Then we can tap that tree for 30 or 40 years to come.”
A spout is then placed in the tree, followed by lining with a vacuum, pulling the sap into one common tank. The property has 10 miles of lining. The 800-gallon tank fills up each day — sometimes more than once during peak season.
The sap then goes to the “sugar shack” where a state-of-the-art machine evaporates the sap into syrup. 40 gallons of sap becomes just one gallon of syrup.
Maple sap is 98% water, 2% sugar — far from the final product North Americans have grown accustomed to. The maple syrup in its final state is nearly two-thirds sugar.
The machine can produce about 50 gallons of syrup an hour during peak season.
Production in its current state bears little resemblance to the generations before him.
“25 years ago, we had a small little flat pan,” said Wagner. “It would boil about six gallons an hour. We used to do that out on the driveway sitting on cinderblocks.”
Despite starting later than recent years, Wagner is still optimistic about this season, saying they could reach peak production levels already by the end of this week.
“We’re on track for a typical maple season right now,” said Wagner. “We’ve been spoiled the last few years because we got started so early into February, which was great for us. Right now, I’m not concerned. I’m an optimist. As long as the weather holds out, we’ll be able to make some good quality maple syrup in the next couple weeks.”
Inthewoods Sugar Bush will open later this month to those interested in seeing maple syrup production firsthand.
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