1. Brenda Murphy, Annette Chretien, Laura Brown
With assistance from: Amy Hluchyj
Interdisciplinary Framework
GIS
Elmira Maple Syrup Festival and Wellbeing
Work With Aboriginal Producers

2. Draws on Insights From Larger Project
Reports Specifically on Survey Data
Fall 2010, Stratford, Ontario
International Maple Syrup Institute, the North American
Maple Syrup Council and the Ontario Maple Syrup
Producers’ Association joint conference
200 attendees, 33 respondents
Non‐Timber Forest Product (NTFP)
Biological Resources, Products and Services Harvested
From Forests for Subsistence and/or Trade
Undervalued, but currently experiencing a renaissance
Key component of Indigenous cultures and economies

3. Rural Governance
Formal Policies
Government Legislation, Regulations, Directives, Policies
Informal Policies
Local, Customary, Voluntary, Norms
Adaptive Capacity
Ability to implement strategies that deal with negative
effects and capitalize on opportunities
Climate Change Strategies: Both Mitigation and Adaptation
Maple Syrup
Important Canadian NTFP
Social, Economic, Cultural, Ecologic, Aesthetic Value
Thesis: Contributes to ‘adaptive capacity’ esp. in rural spaces
Who are the harvesters, where are they located?
How does production contribute to adaptive capacity?
Are harvesting practices sustainable?
Impact of weather variability and climate change?
How does/could governance support/increase capacities?

4. Canadian Industry:
•Quebec
•Ontario
•New Brunswick
•Nova Scotia
Ontario Maple Syrup ‘Locals’
Sugar Maple Range
Canadian Production 2010:
•7.4 million gallons
•$280 million
Impact on maple syrup production understudied:
•Timing & length of season, quality & quantity of syrup,
•Impact of droughts, storms

5. Land Tenure
Own, rent, common property, crown land
Siloed Government Departments
OMAF, MNR, CFIA, AAFC
Legislation/Regulation
Maple Products Regulations
Voluntary Certification
Organic, woodlot, maple products
Norms, Guidelines, Local/Traditional Knowledges
Social networking, conferences, workshops, etc.
Characteristics of Survey Population
High involvement with production (88%)
Long time involvement with industry

6. Benefits # of Respondents
Provide Opportunities to Meet/Network 28 (85%)
Provide Opportunities to Learn New 27 (82%)
Skills
Conduct Research on Important Topics 26 (79%)
Lobby Government on Important Issues 21 (64%)
Changes/Opportunities Not at all Somewhat Quite Don’t
Important Important Important Know/NA
New rules about food safety 0 11 (33%) 22 (67%) 0
Proposed new rules about maple 2 (6%) 16 (49%) 15 (46%) 0
syrup grading
Fiscal incentives to modernize 4 (12%) 15 (46%) 13 (39%) 1 (3%)
operations
Continued erosion of government 4 (12%) 14 (42%) 11 (33%) 1 (3%)
staff

7. Buying local is good for communities 70%
Health benefits of maple products 61%
‘Eat local’ diet 58%
Trees remove carbon, so should be protected 39%
Decreasing
Access to help 39%
Increasing
Level of technology 94%
Costs 82%
# of taps 73%
Level of bureaucracy 64%
82% of Canadians; 47% of Americans
Participation in organizations 61%
Health of trees 42%
Impact of climate change 36%

8. Weather Less Variable No Change More Variable Don’t Know/
Factors Not Applicable
Start of Season 0 5 (15% 24 (73%) 1 (3%)
End of Season 2 (6%) 7 (21%) 20 (61%) 1 (3%)
Day Temp 2 (6%) 7 (21%) 18 (55%) 3 (9%)
Sap Production 1 (3%) 8 (24%) 17 (52%) 3 (9%)
Night Temp 2 (6%) 9 (27%) 16 (49%) 3 (9%)
Snow Cover 1 (3%) 12 (36%) 14 (42%) 3 (9%)
Drought 0 15 (46%) 11 (33%) 4 (12%)
Violence, Storms 1 (3%) 15 (46%) 11 (33%) 3 (9%)
Canadians noted more variability than Americans

9. Canadians more likely to choose ‘yes’
Strategies
New Technology 57%
Active Tree Management 48%
Barriers
Uncertainty of impacts 39%
Long lifespan of trees 39%
Too expensive 35%
Don’t know what to do 26%

10. #1. The maple syrup industry contributes to the adaptive
capacity and resilience of rural spaces and should be
encouraged to flourish in a way that contributes to social,
economic and ecological sustainability.
#2. More research is needed to reduce uncertainty and
understand the impact of climate change on the maple
industry and affected rural spaces.
#3. Adaptation must be oriented towards strategies that
meet immediate needs and long‐term adaptive capacity.
#4. The identification and implementation of
adaptation strategies, including knowledge transfer,
should capitalize on existing policies, protocols,
organizational structures and informal networks.
#5. Governance policies should be oriented toward
holistic frameworks that break down silos (academic,
governmental, societal).
#6. Governance policies should be oriented to achieve
both mitigation and adaption goals

11. #7. Adaptive capacity will be increased by strategies
that are robust enough to achieve sustainability while
being flexible enough to meet the requirements of
different regions and the farm‐level needs of producers.
#8. Adaptive strategies should capitalize on existing or
emerging public discourses, but should shape growth in
the maple industry to meet sustainability goals.
#9. A separate set of appropriate adaptive strategies
will need to be developed by and with Indigenous
peoples.