Climate Change and its Effect on Maple and Birch trees

When you buy products from Native Harvest, you support environmentally friendly food harvesting and production.

Do you enjoy our maple syrup and birch bark baskets? If you do, you may be interested to know that climate change models predict a large decline of Sugar Maples and Paper Birch trees due to warming that is taking place as a result of climate change. Paper Birch trees and Sugar Maple trees need specific soil conditions to thrive. The warming climate impacts the soil moisture levels and affects the ability of the trees to draw nutrients and water from the soil. Declining populations of Paper Birch trees have already been noted in local areas. Sugar Maple trees need moderate soil moisture.

The changing amounts of precipitation due to climate change are expected to impact the Sugar Maple population. Paper Birch and Sugar Maple trees thrive in Minnesota’s long, cold winters. We have observed that shorter, warmer winters affect the flow of the sap and cause decreased sap production in the Sugar Maple tree. The maple syrup industry will be severely impacted by climate change as temperatures rise and winters become shorter and milder. Invasive species and diseases will become more prevalent as climate change brings longer growing seasons, higher temperatures and changing weather patterns. We are all connected.

As climate change affects the trees and plants in our homeland, many of the pollinators and other forest creatures will lose food, shelter, and habitat. Climate change is not only a threat to our food and environment, but to our traditional way of life. Native Harvest is proud to offer products that support a healthy, diverse environment. We hope you will join us in protecting biological diversity, clean water, and indigenous life ways.