The same forests that make Maine one of the top three maple producing states in the nation also support some of the highest diversity of nesting birds in the country. In an effort to bring together Maine’s maple industry with bird conservation, Maine Audubon has partnered with Audubon Vermont, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, and the Maine Maple Producers Association to bring the Bird-Friendly Maple program to the Pine Tree State.
Developed in 2014 by Audubon Vermont, in partnership with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation and the Vermont Maple Sugar Maker’s Association, Bird-Friendly Maple promotes forest management that maintains or enhances breeding bird habitat for species such as Scarlet Tanager, Black-throated Blue Warbler, and Wood Thrush. In recognition of these intentional efforts, participating maple producers are provided with unique product labeling, signage, and other materials to share with consumers.
A pilot program began in 2023 in Maine, when one producer, Dunham Farm and Velvet Hollow Sugar Works, in Greenwood, enrolled in the program. Read more about the Dunhams and Maine Maple Sunday 2023.
Since then, five more producers have enrolled in the program. They are:
Black Owl Maple, Jefferson
Dunham Farm, Greenwood
Gray Jay Mapleworks, Jackman
Libby Farms, Cornville
Nutkin Knoll Farm & Sugarworks, Newburgh
Next time you have a hankering for some delicious maple syrup, purchase it from one of these farms and tell them how much you appreciate what they are doing to help nesting forest birds. You can also visit them during Maine Maple Weekend, usually the fourth weekend in March.
Find out more about these and other regional Bird-Friendly Maple producers on this interactive map hosted by National Audubon >
THE FIRST STEP:
Steve Hagenbuch, Senior Conservation Biologist and Forester with Audubon Vermont, and creator of the Bird-Friendly Maple program, visited Dunham Farm to complete a habitat assessment, make recommendations to update their forest management plan, and enroll them in the program. As a result, the Dunhams became the first Maine maple producers to commit to managing their sugarbush with birds in mind, and to receive stickers marking their maple products as “Produced in Bird-friendly Habitats”, and rack cards and posters to display at their sugarbush.
THE GOAL:
Bird-friendly sugarbush management is designed to encourage greater diversity and structural complexity than is sometimes found in pure sugarbushes, while not restricting maple producing activities. To join the program, a producer must agree to adopt as many of the management goals as possible, including keeping at least 25% of the canopy trees in species other than maple, keeping at least 25% vegetation cover in the understory (0-6′) and midstory (6-30′), and retaining or recruiting at least 2 dead standing trees/acre and at least 4 down logs/acre, as increased forest diversity and structural complexity often leads to increased diversity and abundance of birds and other wildlife.
HOW TO ENROLL:
The first step to enrolling is to invite an Audubon biologist or trained consulting forester to conduct a habitat assessment to determine what improvements need to be made, if any, to meet the goals of the program. Following the assessment, the biologist or forester will draft specific management recommendations that can be incorporated into a Forest Management Plan or a stand-alone Habitat Management Plan. After a Plan is completed, the producer signs an agreement with Audubon to implement the recommendations over the next 10 years, and receives stickers marking their maple products as “Produced in Bird-friendly Habitats”, and rack cards and posters to display at their sugarbush.
PLEASE JOIN!
Maine Audubon’s Bird-Friendly Maple program is part of a national effort led by National Audubon to bring together maple producers and bird conservation.
If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the program and how to enroll, please email conserve@maineaudubon.org. We are actively looking for more producers and partners to help us expand this program.
For additional information about the national Bird-Friendly Maple program visit National Audubon.
National Audubon Bird-Friendly Maple website: this provides general program information, a national map of maple producers currently enrolled in the program, state and regional websites, and staff contacts.
Bird-Friendly Maple Program Guidelines: this document describes the standards maple producers are asked to work towards to become a recognized Audubon bird-friendly maple producer.
Bird-Friendly Maple Habitat Assessment Protocol: this document details how to incorporate a habitat assessment into a sugarbush/forest inventory
Bird-Friendly Maple Data Sheet: this form can be used for recording forest and habitat data described in the Assessment Protocol
