DUE TO COVID-19 TONEWOOD IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED

Save the Maple

Preserving the Future

Tonewood is committed to preserving family-owned sustainable maple farming. Unfortunately small producers, like those we partner with, are currently threatened by both environmental and economic factors.

Because maple production relies on the weather to create harvesting conditions, climate change is a major concern for the industry. Over the past forty years, the harvesting season has decreased in length and shifted to occur early in the year. These changes are the result of warmer winters and earlier thaws. Unless climate change is controlled, the United States maple harvesting industry might disappear entirely within the next half century. Tonewood seeks to protect U.S. maple production by donating to the Proctor Maple Research Center at the University of Vermont. The Center is a leader in maple research and education, with a focus on improving harvesting technology and understanding maple tree physiology and health. Through our support of the Proctor Maple Research Center, Tonewood hopes to ensure maple production in New England for many generations. 

More immediately, maple producers are threatened by increased consumption of cheap, artificial maple syrup substitutes. Companies are offering low-quality, imitation syrups and marketing these products as “real” or “all-natural.” This trend hinders maple farmers, who struggle to compete on price and marketing ability. The Tonewood adoption program offers small scale producers the added financial security they need to commit to the expensive, specialized, and labor intensive work of maple syrup production.

To find out how you can help preserve maple production for future generations click here.