Northern Ontario maple syrup producers get a head start in 2017

The relatively mild winter across northern Ontario this year has meant a near-record early start for maple syrup producers in the northeast.

"It caught us off guard," Dave Matthews said of the earlier start this year to the maple sap run. Producers tap the trees to collect the sap, which is then boiled down to create products like maple syrup, maple butter and even candies.

Matthews, who is the owner of Matthews Maple Syrup in Powassan, south of North Bay, was a guest on CBC's northern Ontario afternoon show, Up North on Wednesday. He said there have been a few years when syrup production — not just sap collection — began in February, but it's not common.

"About 10 to 12 years ago we made syrup in February," he said. "This year, our first boil was the 24th [of February], so it's a few days early but not overly shocking."

What the warm weather has done, Matthews said, is allow the sap to run out of the trees for long periods of time.

"We've had a few overnighters," he said.

Too much of a good thing?

Temperatures across most of northern Ontario have settled back into more seasonal ranges by the beginning of March, and Matthews said that's good to see.

He said he's heard from producers in southwestern Ontario, who have been seeing double-digit daytime highs, who are concerned about their maple trees budding early.

"They're already into a very dark grade of syrup," he said.

A quick freeze followed by a rise to warmer temperatures can be good news for a long production run.

"March and April — it can freeze up for a week or two weeks — and just prolong the season for us and that's what we're hoping for," Matthews said.

Click here to hear Dave Matthews' full interview with Up North host Jason Turnbull