UVM–Québec Team Sets 10–14 Day Window on Northeast Kingdom Tapping Question
Researchers have acknowledged a joint question from Northeast Kingdom maple operators but say they will not address tapping window implications until a lab review of anomalous sap chemistry samples is further along. Farmers are advised to hold planning assumptions steady.
UNDERHILL, Vermont — The joint UVM–Québec research team studying anomalous sap chemistry samples from Northeast Kingdom farm operations has replied to cooperative chair Adèle Tremblay-Gagnon, acknowledging the question submitted on behalf of member operators and promising a substantive written response within ten to fourteen days. The reply, which Tremblay-Gagnon forwarded to member farms in a brief Tuesday afternoon advisory, sets a timeline — but delivers no findings.
The team was explicit about its reasoning for the delay. Researchers said they "do not want to speak to the tapping window question ahead of the chemistry question," indicating that the senior laboratory review of the sap samples must progress further before the relationship between that data and tapping window modeling can be addressed responsibly. No preliminary conclusions were offered.
Tremblay-Gagnon described the timeline as reasonable in her note to members and asked farms to hold their planning assumptions steady in the interim. The ten-to-fourteen day window puts an initial response in the first days of June.