The Neebish Island News

The CS Monitor reports maple sugarers are having a great year - Economic sweet spot: making maple syrup

Mr. Marsh says sugarmakers won't meet demand for the product, which has skyrocketed domestically and internationally, especially in Asia and Russia. "We're growing the market. Now we just need to grow production," he says.

Partly because of maple syrup's low-fat content and partly because of organic food's popularity, sugarmakers have been able to find new outlets beyond the familiar gallon jugs and plastic squeeze bottles found on store shelves. Dufresne sells syrup to several granola companies, a brewery, and breadmakers, all organizations that weren't interested in his crop five years ago.

Want your own sugar bush on Neebish Island? MSU Extension has a guide (from 1982): Homemade Maple Syrup

Labels: food, trees

TV 9 and 10 has an update on the Sleeper Lake Fire.

And with winter approaching (seriously, it is) here is a list of BTUs of different wood species:
Rutland Fire Clay Company - Heating Values Comparison by Wood Species

On Neebish Island you should be able to find oak, maple, and the occasional old apple tree for your wood stove.

Labels: trees

I originally saw this in the May issue Traverse Magazine.

The 1990 USDA Hardiness Zone map has been updated and all of the Eastern U.P. is now in Zone 5 whereas a small area around the St. Marys River was in Zone 4 in 1990.

Press release at The National Arbor Day Foundation - New arborday.org Hardiness Zone Map reflects warmer climate

What this means is you can now plant plants that only need to be able to survive to -20F instead of -30F.

Labels: climate, gardening, trees