Smokey House Center to Host Women-Centered Sugarbush Silviculture Workshop

Danby, VT–Smokey House Center in partnership with Women and our Woodlands, and Audubon Vermont, will host a women-centered workshop on sugarbush silviculture on Sunday, September 7, from 10am to 3pm at Smokey House Center in Danby, Vermont.

While it may seem like sugar production and forest management are at odds, they are deeply connected. Smokey House Center is launching a new research and demonstration sugarbush on the side of Dorset Peak to answer questions that foresters and sugarmakers face when balancing timber and maple syrup production. What are the short- and long-term impacts on sap volumes and sugar levels after a harvest? What is the ideal gap size to encourage regeneration of diverse tree species? This new research aims to provide answers.

This workshop will focus on women producers and land managers—a small but growing group in Vermont’s maple industry. A 2021 Maple Syrup Digest survey found that only 2% of producers were women, even as the industry continues to grow. Vermont’s maple production accounts for 2,600 jobs and $53.5 million in annual economic output. With the average producer age between 55 and 60, the industry is beginning to see new generations, including women, stepping into business owner and land manager roles. This workshop is designed to support and strengthen that growth.

The workshop is free, but registration is required through Smokey House Center’s website at www.smokeyhouse.org/happenings. The day will consist of an easy-to-moderate walk through Smokey House’s campus sugarbush, followed by a moderate hike to the Dorset peak sugarbush, where participants will see silvicultural trials firsthand. Lunch will be provided.