Transportation and Marketing 

Acer Access andDevelopment

Program

Fiscal Year 2019 

Description of Funded Projects

 Number of Grants Awarded: 8 

 Amount of Funds Awarded: $3,600,473.92

For more information, please visit the grant program's website:

https://www.ams.usda.gov/acer

 NOTE: The below project descriptions were provided by the grantrecipients.

Maine

Recipient: Univ of ME System acting through Univ of Southern ME 

Portland, ME

Project Type: Market Development and Promotion

Award Amount: $465,416.00

Development of a Spatial Visualization Tool for dentification and Quantification of Market Opportunities for Maple Syrup 

and Value-Added Products

The University of Maine System acting through University of Southern Maine will conduct research to identify and quantify 

local and regional market opportunities for U.S. maple syrup and value-added products (“maple syrup”). Intensive business 

and economic research will address three key objectives: 1) Consumer Survey: assess consumer attitudes and preferences 

about U.S. maple syrup by state and regional market; 2) Business and Economic Modeling: quantification of potential relative 

value of U.S. market opportunities for domestic maple syrup; and 3) Market Feasibility: development of an interactive, online

spatial visualization tool for assessing the value of regional market opportunities for maple syrup.
 New Jersey

Recipient: Stockton University 

Galloway, NJ

Project Type: Producer and Landowner Education

Award Amount: $410,202.92

Developing a Sustainable Maple Syrup Industry in New Jersey through Research and TargetedOutreach

Stockton University will lead research and outreach programs to increase maple syrup production in New Jersey and the 

larger Mid-Atlantic region by using of novel technology, landowner engagement, and sustainable best management practices. 

The research efforts will focus on best management practices (BMPs) for sustainable maple syrup production, maximizing 

economic returns, and encouraging environmental stewardship. Outreach efforts will define BMPs for sustainable maple 

syrup production in New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic at large, especially on the issues of sap volume, syrup quality, and 

ecological forest management with the goal of ascertaining the economic viability of maple syrup production regarding 

climate and seasonal variability. Outreach efforts will address land and technology access for current and potential producers 

delivered via workshops, demonstrations, and online content. The study results will be shared through maple conferences, 

agriculture and forestry conferences and meetings, peer-reviewed journal articles, and tradepublications.

 New York

Recipient: Cornell University 

Ithaca, NY

Project Type: Producer and Landowner Education

Award Amount: $481,403.00

Expanding Knowledge for the Efficient and Profitable Production of Quality Maple Syrup and Value-Added Products

Cornell University will expand current research and education efforts to improve the efficiency of syrup production and 

quality of syrup. Areas of focus will include: 1) Sap collection system design and maintenance enhancements 2) Syrup 

processing efficiency and quality improvements 3) Value-added production process innovations. The result of this research 

will be disseminated through a three-part educational outreach effort in collaboration with maple programs in Ohio and 

Pennsylvania. Project staff will increase producer knowledge and normalize adoption of improved technologies and 

processes. Producers will also gain access to new production methodologies for the large-scale, efficient production of valueadded products, including granulated sugar, refined sugar, cotton candy, and maple candy.

 Ohio

Recipient: The Ohio State University

Columbus, OH

Project Type: Producer and Landowner Education

Award Amount: $482,011.00

Leveraging Education and Research to Promote Maple Syrup Production in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Ohio State University will lead education and research programs to contribute the development of effective outreach 

strategies and policy instruments for enhancement of maple syrup production in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The 

research team will conduct a survey to analyze syrup production and production practices in the tri-state region and evaluate 

stakeholder perceptions and motivations for engaging in maple syrup production by communicating with key stakeholders. A 

three-pronged strategy will be implemented to develop outreach and education materials, such as a varied array of fact 

sheets, presentations, best management resources, trainings, and introductory and in-depth workshops, to current 

producers, private woodland owners (potential as future producers or through lease tapping), and management 

professionals. 
 Vermont

Recipient: The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College 

Burlington, VT

Project Type: Producer and Landowner Education

Maple Financial Education

Award Amount: $405,839.00

The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College will expand maple financial benchmark programs and consolidate 

new maple business management education curricula that can be disseminated nationally, with an emphasis on enhancing 

producer and landowner sustainability through cost of production analysis and viable business planning. The target audience 

for this project will be current maple producers, prospective maple producers, landowners and business advisers seeking to 

expand producer and landowner education nationally. The curricula content is suitable for delivery in conventional 

educational settings and new distance learning business modules will be developed to expand accessibility to maple 

operators and forest land owners. This multi-state project will establish long-term maple business education capacity by 

developing a new network of coordinated business advisers in several states. By 2022 at least eight maple states representing 

over 90% of national maple production will participate in the education network develop a plan to offer programs in their 

respective regions.

 Washington

Recipient: University of Washington Award Amount: $499,709.00 

Seattle, WA

Project Type: Producer and Landowner Education

Maple Syrup Production from Big Leaf Maple Trees in the Riparian Zones of Washington's Forests Add Attachments

University of Washington will conduct a three-year research project to determine the best practices to facilitate the 

development of a commercial maple syrup industry in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), specifically in Washington State. The 

project objectives involve determining the volume of sap and syrup that can be produced according to the following 

variables: (1) Different elevations, latitude, and climatic zones (2) Collection methods using traditional bucket collection 

versus high vacuum tubing systems, (3) Size and health of bigleaf maple trees, and (4) Timing of tapping and strategies such 

as reaming of existing tap holes or re-tapping trees throughout the season (December-March). The research will also provide 

educational opportunities on how to develop the most successful and cost-effective sugaring enterprises with bigleaf maple 

in the PNW to bring additional income and diversity to the region’s farming and forestry operations.

Increasing production and income of U.S. maple producers through the increased use of red maple as a crop tree

The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College will conduct the research and education necessary to increase 

producer knowledge, awareness and understanding of the best practices and benefits of including red maple as a crop tree to 

increase production and income. Red maple is a resource with the potential to significantly increase U.S.

syrup production and the production and income of individual producers. Maple producers throughout the U.S. will benefit 

from this knowledge to increase their total annual syrup production and income by increasing the number of red maple trees 

tapped for sap collection in their operations. Ultimately by increasing the number of red maple trees would increase the total 

production of the U.S. maple industry, helping to improve the sustainability of domestic maple production, and increase 

competitiveness of domestically produced syrup in the global marketplace.

The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College Award Amount: $499,994.00

Burlington, VT

Producer and Landowner Education

Recipient:

Project Type:
 West Virginia

Recipient: West Virginia University Research Corporation 

Morgantown, WV

Project Type: Producer and Landowner Education

Award Amount: $355,899.00

Sustaining the Central Appalachian Maple Syrup Industry through Integrated Forest Management Education 

Programming.

West Virginia University Research Corporation will assemble a team of experts in forest management, forest operations, 

forest pathology, landowner assistance, and maple syrup operations to create a program that will provide an integrated 

program designed to promote maple syrup production by educating forest landowners, foresters, and loggers on the nuances 

of southern sugarbush management. The program expects to increase maple syrup production by increasing the number of 

maple trees tapped and the operations will become more sustainable as landowners, foresters and loggers are educated on 

proper management of the maple resource.