Maple syrup season has arrived, but the season may be cut short because of rising temperatures.

“If we don’t have the right weather,” says Benjamin Schlund, maple farmer at Sugar Hill Sugar Bush. “You don’t have maple syrup to put on your pancakes.”

The sap has to flow from the roots to the canopy of the tree in order for there to be a good harvest. Freezing temperatures in the evening and warmer temperatures in the morning create the flow of maple sap.

“That’s what we got to have for that good sap flow, cold nights down in the twenties, and up in the forties during the day,” says Arlo Schlund, owner of the Sugar Hill Sugar Bush.

But the lack of freezing temperatures at night have the Schlunds worried.

“If we have a very warm spring, I’m thinking the supply will be less this year,” says Arlo.

But the Schlunds have found a way to help speed up production of their maple sap with the help of an osmosis machine.

“The reverse osmosis machine takes water from the sap, so instead of cooking two percent sap we can take out fifty percent of the water ahead of time before we cook, and be cooking six to eight percent concentrated sap,” says Benjamin. “It saves on time, fuel, and which ultimately saves money.”

Its a big investment, and time only time will tell if it pays off.

“If the supply is down, the prices have the potential to rise and if our crops stay the same, prices should stay steady.”

The Schlunds say that they will be watching the weather report.