The 2026 Marketing Conservation Cohort helped four Orleans County farms share the conservation practices that are already part of their everyday work. For Maple Mountain Sugarhouse, that story begins in the forest. Their sugarbush is managed as a diverse, living ecosystem, with practices that support wildlife habitat, forest health, and long-term resilience alongside maple production. Through the program, OCNRCD worked with Maple Mountain to explore that story and create new ways to show how conservation and working lands can thrive together.

Maple Mountain Sugarhouse

 By Lyman Gilman

 

Managing a sugarbush as a living forest

At Maple Mountain Sugarhouse, maple production is part of a larger forest ecosystem. Their conservation practices focus on maintaining forest diversity, protecting wildlife habitat, managing invasive species, and matching land use to the needs of the landscape.

Bird-Friendly forest

The sugarbush is managed as a diverse forest rather than a maple monoculture, with other tree species intentionally maintained throughout the canopy. Dead standing trees and understory growth provide habitat for birds and other wildlife, while the forest's diversity helps build resilience to pests, disease, and changing weather.

Invasive Species Management

Maple Mountain Sugarhouse actively manages invasive species including barberry, knotweed, and honeysuckle to prevent their spread and protect young maple growth. Maintaining a diverse mix of native plants and trees supports both forest health and wildlife habitat.

Rotational Grazing

Beef cattle rotate through four pasture sections, moving every two weeks so each area has time to regrow. The cattle stay out of the sugarbush, protecting the soil and maple root systems.

Conservation here means managing the whole landscape, not just the trees that produce the syrup.

Visit Maple Mountain Sugarhouse ↗