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

With the help of NRCS, Renee Rainville has been able to restore water quality and improve access through forest trail improvements, making it easier to tap the maple trees that produce syrup that gets distributed to homes all over the country. 

 “My fondest memories growing up were sitting in the sugar shack and watching my dad harvest sap from sugar maples and turn it into maple syrup,” said Renee. “When we got the opportunity to acquire a maple orchard, I knew that was something I wanted to do.”

NRCS Soil Conservationist Jimmy Young with Renee Rainville with at the Maple Fix Farm in Fairfax, Vermont. 

The production of maple syrup is triggered by the fluctuating temperatures of the spring season. The sap within the maple tree 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. This sap is collected and boiled to concentrate the sugar to the point where all that’s left is what we know as maple syrup.

“We have about 12,000 trees over 222 acres,” said Renee. “We end up producing about 5,000 gallons of syrup a year. This syrup gets distributed all over the nation”

In order to access the sugar maple trees, Renee and her team must go through a complex route of trails up and down the rocky terrain of northern Vermont. These trails were in poor condition when Renee acquired the maple orchard. The damaged trails were even starting to affect the local ecosystem.

A sugar maple tap at the Maple Fix Farm in Fairfax, Vermont.

“The trails in the sugarbush didn’t have the water control structures that are needed to prevent erosion on forest roads,” said NRCS Soil Conservationist Jimmy Young. “Due to the lack of proper water bars, the soil drained into adjacent waterways, reducing aerobic conditions in the streams, which meant there was little available oxygen for fish and other aquatic organisms.”

Water bars are erosion control devices that are especially effective at preventing erosion on the sloping trails of Vermont maple orchards by diverting surface water off the road into stabilized ground that is designed to receive the water without damage. 

After consulting with a local forester, Renee contacted NRCS for assistance with developing a no-cost conservation plan for her land. This plan included designs to rebuild the trails to both make them less prone to erosion and restore them so that they could be accessible for the harvest of maple sap.

“Through the NRCS Forest Trails and Landings conservation practice, we were able to not only help Renee control the erosion and water quality issues that were occurring, but also reduce maintenance costs,” said Jimmy. 

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 Renee’s Maple Fix Farm in Fairfax, Vermont, the practice was funded through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, also known as EQIP. EQIP is NRCS’ flagship conservation program that helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners integrate conservation into working lands. 

Renee Rainville with NRCS Soil Conservationist Jimmy Young at the Maple Fix Farm in Fairfax, Vermont.

“The EQIP program saved us a lot of money and energy,” said Renee. “With help from NRCS, we were able to hire someone to do the excavating we needed in order to establish water bars along the trails."

Vermont maple syrup producer Renee Rainville at the Maple Fix Farm in Fairfax, Vermont.

“Jimmy has been a great source of advice and knowledge,” said Renee. “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.