PNW Bigleaf Maple Syrup Conference & Festival

The University of Washington, Washington State University, Oregon State University, and the Washington Farm Forestry Association conducted the first annual Pacific Northwest Bigleaf Maple Syrup Conference at the University of Washington’s Pack Forest Field Research Station in Eatonville, Washington on May 12-14, 2022.

A playlist of all the talks given at the conference is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmbpW1A_Xg0&list=PLRE8R7B7fE-BhYunOmIEL8....

Videos of the individual sessions are available there or you can watch them in players below on this page.

Conference sessions recordings

Fireside Chat featuring Neil McLeod, Mike Farrell, and Bryan Reed  Moderated by Greg Ettl

Review of research at University of Washington

Review of research at Oregon State University

Review of research at Washington State University

UW Bigleaf Maple syrup project 2021

Economics of bigleaf maple sugaring – Mike Farrell, Su Alexander, Eliza Nelson

Food safety – Stephanie Smith, WSU’s Consumer Food Safety Specialist

Buying and selling sap – Mike Farrell

UW Maple syrup story 2022

Market Development & Vision for the Future – Neil McLeod and Devin Day

Summary of the day’s proceedings and discussions – Rebecca McLain

Bigleaf Maple – Beyond Pancakes, Devin Day shares feedback for Seattle chefs on using bigleaf maple syrup in cooking and cocktails

 

The Bigleaf Maple Festival

Learning all about bigleaf maple sugaring in the Pacific Northwest:

  • Identifying bigleaf maple
  • Growing bigleaf maple
  • Tapping demonstration
  • Collection demonstration
  • Evaporator/processing demonstration
  • Tour of Pack Forest sugar shack
  • Maple products demonstration
  • Taste Testing: Taste testing of seven syrups, including five local bigleaf maple syrups.
  • Equipment Display: Displays of materials, supplies, and equipment.

A glimpse of the festival activities:

This conference and festival was made possible through funding by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS), Acer Access and Development and Program.