Walnut tree |
Legislation has been passed aimed at tapping
into the potential of the state’s many walnut and birch trees for making syrup.
State Sen. Patricia Ritchie, R-Oswegatchie, chair of the state Senate Agriculture Committee, said according
to researchers, there are 22 types of trees that can be tapped for syrup, with
the most common in New York state -- after maple -- being black walnut and birch.
In recent
years, Cornell University has been working to help maple producers explore the
use of these trees to expand and add value to their businesses, and extend the
season for “sugar makers,” as birch and walnut saps typically run after maple
stops flowing.
Birch tree |
“We’ve
seen the popularity of maple products explode in recent years and while there’s
still room for the industry to grow, there’s also untapped resources contained
in the millions of other trees throughout our state, namely birch and walnut
trees,” Ritchie said.
“This
legislation will help us to build upon the success of New York’s maple industry,
expand markets for syrup producers and help to ensure that those who purchase
birch and walnut syrups are buying the best product possible.”
Under
Senate bill 3669, purity and quality requirements would be established for
birch and walnut syrups and sugars, similar to those that exist for
maple.
This legislation would help grow the walnut and birch syrup
industries by safeguarding consumers from inferior products and by helping to
protect producers from unfair competition, posed by those making imitation
syrups.
The bill has been approved by the Assembly and now goes to Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his signature.
In
recent years, New York’s maple industry has grown from 1.3 million taps
in 2007, to more than 2 million today. While the state is second only to
Vermont in maple syrup production, millions of trees across the state remain
untapped.
Ritchie’s legislation seeks to add birch and walnut
trees to the ranks of those used by sugarhouses for syrup production. Similar to maple, walnut syrup is described as being sweeter, with a hint of
nuttiness. Alternatively, birch syrup has more of a fruity, tangy
flavor.
The
new spending in the state budget for agriculture also contains funding specifically aimed at expanding New
York’s growing maple industry, including $125,000 for maple research at Cornell
University and more than $200,000 in funding for the Maple Producers
Association.
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