There’s no doubt that warm-weather lovers smile at the thought of trees budding during the spring, no matter whether it’s sunny or raining. The buds, after all, are among the great harbingers of warmth — leaves pressing to burst forth into the splendors of spring, summer and autumn.
The buds bring a twinge of disappointment to some folks though, as they signal the end of the season’s maple syrup run.
State Department of Natural Resources regional forester Ryan Peaslee said conditions for the sap run have been decent. The cold nights and some relatively warm days acted well in shaking sap loose from Wisconsin’s grand sugar maple trees, other types of maple trees and from any other trees sap-collectors consider fit for tapping.
Now, Peaslee said the focus will be turning on working to prevent wildfires that too often appear this time of each year. That awareness was raised on Friday, when state DNR officials announced that burning permits were being put on hold.
He said it’s always important to prevent those fires, but that this spring’s coronavirus situation would mean dealing with wildfires could overburden emergency services personnel. The fires’ smoke could further harm the lungs of people dealing with illnesses, he added.
Enjoying the sweetness of this season’s syrup run is much better than dealing with wildfires. Peaslee and his cohorts would agree to that.
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