Why Scientists Are Measuring Suagr Content in Trees

The amount of sugar in the sap of maple tree varies.  Not only does it vary from tree to tree, but it can also vary from year to year within the same tree.  On average, maple tree sap contains somwhere around 2-4% sugar.

So what – right?  Well, the reason this is important to maple syrup producers, environmentalists and pancake lovers, is because the more sugar that is in the sap, the less water there is as well.  The less water there is, the less time it takes to boil off the excess water to produce syrup.  The lower the boiling time, the less fuel that is consumed by the boilers.  The less fuel used…you get my point.

The question that has now come up is whether or not high sugar content in trees is genetic in nature or whether it is solely based on external environmental factors.  To find out, scientists in the north-eastern part of the United States are sampling over 20,000 maples trees using refractometers to measure the sugar levels.  Once the study is done, further testing will determine if a tree can be cloned or otherwise reproduced that has a high sugar content as well.

And they say too much sugar is bad for you?