The ecosystem, the fauna, the flora
Did you know that a sugar bush is an actual ecosystem? Its trees and plants absorb light and water in a process called photosynthesis and release the oxygen that the whole world and everything living in it need.
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The sun makes the sugar maples’ roots grow, while rain waters the flowers, plants, and trees of the maple forest. Animals, birds and insects feed on these plants and, in turn, some of them are food for other animals, birds and insects. It's the circle of life…
The Sugar Bush is environmentally friendly!
The maple trees of the sugar bush have their own story. They serve as home and nourishment for the flora and fauna. They are born; they grow; and they die. They’re then used to heat the evaporator in the sugar shack, or to make toys and furniture, or even to build houses.
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You’ll find a large variety of trees, flowers, plants, animals, insects, and birds in the sugar bush. Underground, moles and insects are at work decomposing the humus. In the underbrush, there are wood frogs, red-backed salamanders, mice, chipmunks, hares, partridges, raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes, bears, and deers. Up in the trees, there are many kinds of insects, woodpeckers such as the Northern flicker, black-capped chickadees, wood thrushes, owls like the Eagle owl, squirrels, and porcupines. The sugar bush is full of life!
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Furthermore, the maple forest is home to a wide variety of plants and flowers, some of which are quite rare and in need of protection, such as the ramp (wild garlic), ginseng, and the trillium. Put all together, it’s like a beautiful garden. And it smells so good.
Did you know ?
The sugar maple and red maple are two tree species with the ability to convert starch to sugar.
Positive ecological contribution
Each year, maple forests capture an amount of carbon equivalent to what’s produced by 290'000 cars. That’s 14% of all vehicles in NYC. The Québec sugar bush captures and stores 8 times the carbon that its production processes emit.
The power of 'One'
The 'One' in this equation is you. When you choose a high quality maple product, and you know where it comes from, you contribute to the preservation of maple trees and the ecological services they provide, as well as the possibility of increasing the area of natural forests in production. If, every day for a year, you put 1 tsp maple syrup in your coffee or tea (instead 1 tsp plain sugar), you protect the life of two maple trees. Think of that… and imagine the impact that 100'000 others would have if they did the same!