Story and photos by: Quentin Melson, Public Affairs Specialist, NRCS-VT 

Cecile Branon of Fairfield, Vermont, has been harvesting maple syrup for over 50 years. 

“Our family started in dairy, but back then, if you were a dairy farmer, you also did maple,” said Cecile Branon, a fourth generation Vermont maple producer. “It was customary. If you had a farm, and you had maple trees, you were a sugar maker.”

Cecile Branon with NRCS Soil Conservationist James Young at the Branon Maple Orchard in Franklin County, Vermont.

The production of maple syrup is triggered by fluctuating temperatures of the spring season. The sap within the maple trees freezes when nighttime temperatures drop below freezing. The frozen sap then thaws during the day which creates a pressure change that forces sap out of taps drilled into sugar maple trees. The sap is collected and boiled to concentrate the sugar into syrup.

“The sap usually comes out of the tree at two-percent sugar content,” said Cecile. “So, it takes approximately 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. We try to make six pounds of syrup per tap.”

A sugar maple tap at the Branon Maple Orchard in Franklin County, Vermont.

When harvesting sap from sugar maple trees, it’s essential to have clear forest trails in order to get to the tree taps. When Cecile purchased her farmland, a large portion of forest trails were neglected and badly eroded. With the help of NRCS conservation planners, Cecile has been able to create and maintain navigable forest trails that keep harmful erosion to a minimum, strengthen soil health and ensure long-term productivity and profitability for her farm.

Cecile Branon with NRCS Soil Conservationist James Young at the Branon Maple Orchard in Franklin County, Vermont.

“When we first bought the property, the roads were in terrible shape and we couldn’t get around,” said Cecile. “The land had been previously used for logging and when they were done, they would lop off the trees on each side of the road in order to block access to the property. This made it difficult to access the sugar maples and created an environmental problem.”

The trees not only cluttered the roads, but also damaged nearby waterways.

“The trees were holding all of the soil near the roads together,” said NRCS Soil Conservationist James Young. “So, when they were cut down, the soil was left exposed to rain events. This soil eventually drained into local waterways and reduced aerobic conditions in the streams which meant that there was little oxygen available for fish and other aquatic wildlife.”

The runoff created by the neglected forest roads found its way from the small streams on Cecile’s property to the Missisquoi Bay Watershed, contributing to an already high nutrient accumulation within the lake sediment and causing a decreasing water quality due to excessive phosphorus levels.

With the help of a local forester, Cecile contacted NRCS and a conservation plan was put together to rebuild the trails to make them less prone to erosion and clear them so they could be periodically accessible for the harvest of sugar maple sap.

“Through the NRCS forest and landings conservation practice, we were able to not only help Cecile control the erosion that was occurring , but reduce her maintenance costs,” said James. 

Cleared roads that were formerly impassable at the Branon Maple Orchard in Franklin County, Vermont.

Benefits from the NRCS forest and landings conservation practice include: periodic access to forest land, erosion prevention, the preservation of water quality, and food and cover for wildlife. At the Branon Family Maple Orchard, the practice was funded through EQIP.

EQIP or the Environmental Quality Incentives Program is NRCS’ flagship conservation program that helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners integrate conservation into working lands. With funding from this program, Cecile was able to purchase the equipment needed to rehabilitate her forest trails.

“The EQIP program saved us a lot of money and energy,” said Cecile. “The equipment we had to clear roads was constantly breaking down trying to get through the cluttered roads. We had a bulldozer, but we didn’t have the right size excavator. With help from NRCS, we found the excavator we needed, we found financing for the excavator, and the payments from the program were perfect for paying for the excavator.”

Several years and thousands of feet of cleared roads later, Cecile is operating a thriving maple syrup orchard where they tap over 100,000 trees over 4,600 acres. All that sap gets converted to approximately 52,000 gallons of syrup a year, providing tasty treats to customers all over the world.

Cecile Branon at the Branon Maple Orchard in Franklin County, Vermont.

“Jimmy has been a great source of advice and knowledge,” said Cecile. “NRCS has provided us with the financial help, but most of all it’s been people like Jimmy who are willing to help. I’m confident our business will continue to thrive with our partnership with NRCS and I’m excited to continue to work with them.”

More Information

For more information about USDA programs and services, contact your local USDA service center.