By Harry Blutstein
Jean-Franois is the third generation of Ethiers producing maple syrup from around Mirabel, 50 kilometres north-east of Montreal. The farm was started by his grandfather Henri in 1920.
The family sells maple syrup from Cabane Sucre (The Sugar Cabin), just off the main road. On the wall of the cabin ribbons, cups and plaques from local fairs and competitions attest to the skills developed by the Ethier family in the production of the sweet confection.
Hung on the walls is another type of trophy — several animal skins. When I asked whether there were any bears in the neighbourhood, Ethier replied, "Not many". Pointing to a medium-sized specimen on the wall, he added, "But my mother is a very keen hunter".
Collection of sap from the sugar maple tree is one of the oldest industries in North America. Indians cropped maple trees around the Great Lakes and St Lawrence River prior to the arrival of white settlers.
Today plantations extend from Newfoundland to North Dakota and south to Georgia and Texas. Québec, however, is the main producer in North America, providing over 70% of the world supply.
Trees take between 20 and 25 years to mature. While some farms have successfully cultivated sugar maple trees, most, like Ethier's, come from natural forests. A tree must be 25 centimetres in diameter before it can be harvested. The best yields come in spring, when the temperature is less than 0°C at night and above freezing during the day.
About 10 years ago Ethier noticed damage to some trees. Today between 3 and 4% of trees are lost in a year. There are many factors, he admits, that could lead to these trees dying off. Climate, lack of rain in the autumn and the wrong temperature regime during the early spring are all possibilities.
While he can accept the vagaries of nature, he is very unhappy with the contribution of acid rain to the die-back of his maple trees. Ethier is quick to accuse the United States as the main villain, though his evidence is circumstantial. There is a prevailing west wind, which he claims brings acid rain from the industrial heartland of the US into adjacent areas of Canada.
An acid mist is formed when gaseous pollutants, sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, mix with water vapour in the atmosphere, which returns to earth as rain. The main sources are coal-burning power stations, metal smelting in eastern Canada and car exhausts.
Ethier points to the situation in La Beauce, 100 km from Québec City and much closer to the source of acid rain. He estimates that losses of trees in parts of that region have reached 40%.
Gaston Allard is in charge of technical development in the maple industry in Québec. He works at the research centre of the agriculture ministry.
The ministry has been monitoring the decline since 1982. A survey of over 2 million hectares of sugar maple stands showed that about 50% of trees exhibited mild defoliation, while severe defoliation was observed in 3% of the area.
He says that there has been anecdotal evidence for lower growth rates and higher fatalities among maple trees since 1940. However, it is not possible to determine which of a number of environmental factors influences this trend. As well as acid rain, he cited the possible effects of climate change, insect pests and poor management practices.
According to Allard, "Pollution has an effect on this decline, but it is not possible to define a direct causal link with acid rain ... pollution affects the viability of the ecosystem, and damage to any part of such a sensitive system may lead indirectly to a decline in maple syrup production."
The Canadian government in 1985 implemented a plan to reduce by half by 1994 the production of pollutants that give rise to acid rain. But since half the damage in Canada is imported from the US as air-borne pollutants, Canada has been applying pressure on its southern neighbour. After prolonged negotiations, the United States has agreed to match the Canadian targets.
The Canada-United States Air Quality Agreement, signed on March 13, 1991, will reduce sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in both countries. This will be achieved by improving pollution controls on existing industry and reducing new car emissions.
As we looked at his children playing on swings at the back of the Cabane Sucre, Jean-Francois wondered aloud who will take over the family business. He worries that, if nothing is done soon about the acid rain, he may be the last Ethier to produce maple syrup from the Mirabel farm.