Syracuse, NY — Maple producers throughout New York state are anxious about this strange weather. They wonder if they should tap now or wait. They wonder what other producers are doing.

“I have members calling me every day,” said Helen Thomas, of Syracuse, executive director of the New York Maple Producers Association.

Maple producers usually welcome a decent amount of snow to insulate the trees and keep the woodlands cool. They need enough cold days during the winter to let the trees go dormant.

Then, when the high temperatures reach into the 40s and lows still are below freezing, sap will begin to flow and syrup will begin to be made.

Central New York producers say there have been enough cold days for the trees to go dormant, but the lack of snow can be a problem. They also are a tad concerned about the higher temperatures that have popped up in the last month.

“I’m not worried yet, but the worry would be in the long-range forecast,” said Harry Komrowski, who taps about 750 trees in Lysander. “If the forecast is for steady higher temperatures, well, with the kind of winter we’ve been having, that makes me nervous.”

In Central New York, January temperatures averaged 31.1 degrees, 7.5 degrees above normal, according to National Weather Service statistics.

Dan Weed, who runs nearly 15,000 taps in Moravia, has already been making syrup. He said he started tapping about a week earlier than normal this year. “We started Jan. 24 with tapping and cleaned tanks Jan. 23,” he said. “I made syrup that weekend, about 700 gallons of light amber. I normally tap the first of February and I usually get my first run of sap Feb. 15 or 16.”

Last year, by about Feb. 24, he had made 800 gallons. So he’s about a week and a half to two weeks ahead this year in making syrup.

He said he’s always concerned about the weather and this strange winter has made him jumpy. “I know guys who have a long history and remember winters like this before and say it was some of the best sugaring weather ever,” Weed said.

For the last 10 years, the earliest date for a first run of sap was Feb. 22 in 2002, so some producers are beating that this year. “I’m about three weeks ahead of when I normally tap,” said David Klish, who has 1,100 taps at his Dave’s Sugarhouse in Oneida. “My sap is running in one bush, and I’m a little concerned that the trees haven’t been protected by snow.

What the maple producers are dreading is a quick warm-up, similar to what happened two years ago. In 2010, temperatures went up too quickly in March, shutting off the taps way too soon. When temperatures rise into the 60s for about five or more days in a row, the trees begin to bud, the sap stops running and the season is over. Even with an increased number of taps that year to 1.9 million, producers made only 312,000 gallons, down from 439,000 gallons in 2009.

What also isn’t known right now is whether the weather will affect sap quality and syrup taste. “The ground still has a lot of water in it, so I’m not worried about lack of moisture,” Komrowski said, noting less water leads to less sap. “It’s nervous weather. It could still be a great season — no one knows for sure.”

New York ranks second in the country in maple syrup production. Only Vermont produces more syrup than New York. Its producers made 1.14 million gallons in 2011, double that of New York.

Question: I recently became a victim of an extremely large Poplar Tree falling onto my vehicle that was parked on a city street.  I understand the basics of this incident and that my auto insurance comprehensive policy should pick up the claim… which they are, with a $500 deductible.

However, several places on the Internet suggest the only way the tree owner (it’s a large funeral home) is responsible is if they were negligent.  The tree fell around 11:00pm at night with zero wind or rain.  Upon inspecting the base of the tree (it was at least 80 feet tall) I found broken pieces of the stump to be soft like a sponge.  I’m in the process of obtaining a copy of the police report, but I know that law enforcement agents also made comments regarding how soft the wood was.  I know that this tree has serious issues – most likely root rot caused by over watering the cemetery lawn).

My insurance company wants to wait until the claim is settled before deciding if they want to go after the funeral home.  My worry is that the tree will be long gone by that point.  Should I hire a tree professional to analyze what is wrong with the tree, and if yes, will root rot be enough in Washington small claims court to recoup my $500 deductible despite the fact the funeral home uses a tree service to trim branches annually? Thank you so much in advance for your speedy response!

Answer: Hi Jaison, someone had better look at that tree before its’ removal!  If that tree still had life to it then the Funeral home’s insurance might not even cover it.  If it was dead then their insured should have had it removed.  Add to that is the fact that in some cities the tree on a public street becomes the problem of the city and not the property owner after a few years.  I personally know that it is the case in N.Y.C. because I had one fall down when I lived there.  In many cities and municipalities the Poplar tree is illegal due to their fast growth and propensity to get blown down.  They also do not live very long.  I think that you should relay this information to your insurance company ASAP. If they choose to do nothing then get the insurance company info from the Funeral home and file a claim on your own.  They will send an adjustor pronto and inform you of whom is responsibility for the tree.

via http://www.treesny.com

Many dog owners and walkers are unaware of the harmful impact that dog waste has on street trees. Help remind your neighbors to keep dogs from “visiting” tree pits with TreesNY’s attractive, rust-resistant “Curb Your Dog” signs.The rust-resistant metal signs are available with aluminum posts or with corner holes. Signs with posts can be placed in tree pits just like flowers, with no risk of girdling the tree. Signs with corner holes can be easily tied to tree guards.

Street Tree Planting in New York City
There are two ways to have a street tree planted in front of your home: You can request a free tree or you can plant one on your own.

Requesting a Free Street Tree

Any property owner may request a street tree. All street tree requests are taken through individual community board offices. Click here to find out more and to request a street tree online.

Planting on Your Own Street Tree

Before planting your own street tree, you must submit a free permit application to the Parks Department’s Central Forestry & Horticulture division (download link below). If the sidewalk must be broken in order to create a tree pit, you must also apply to the Department of Transportation for a permit.

Application and guidelines for planting your own NYC street tree (PDF, 478 KB)
(Right click and save as)

Download  List of approved trees species for sidewalk and Lawn planting.  [PDF, 61 KB]

That means nobody can touch that tree except the owner, which would be the City of New York in this case! Trees lining the sidewalks are owned and maintained by the city and only with a Permit can anyone else tend to them.. Since the City will most likely be slower to respond than a tree service company, that’s not always such great news for the person with a giant tree on their car when they need to get to work! Don’t forget to take photographs of any accidents for proof to your insurance company!

http://forestry.about.com/od/treeidentification/gr/nyc_tree_guide.htm