The Next Generation Takes Up the Taps

For years the worry ran the other way: kids grew up on the sugarbush and left for good, and the taps went quiet. Lately, in pockets of the state, that story is bending back. A new generation is returning to family woodlots, drawn by the chance to work outdoors and build something lasting.

They arrive with fresh ideas — vacuum systems, better sanitation, careful marketing to buyers who want to know exactly where their syrup came from. But walk the woods with them and you find the old reverence intact. They can name the biggest maples the way others name landmarks.

The economics are still hard. Land, equipment, and short unpredictable seasons make sugaring a labor of love as much as a living. What draws these young sugarmakers back isn't easy money; it's the pull of a place and a craft their families have practiced for generations. If they stay, the woods stay working — and the steam keeps rising over the hills each spring.