This year, we at Not Far From The Tree began our harvesting season much earlier than usual. We started with a winter season crop – maple syrup! It was a first for us and therefore most of our effort this year was put into working through the logistics. The pilot program has gone from start to finish with much success, but there has been some confusion along the way.

Early media reports implied that what we were doing had not received approval from the City and that it was perceived as  causing injury to trees – something that the City’s tree protection by-law has been created to prevent. Further articles (often researched without speaking to – or even requesting an interview from – Not Far From The Tree) perpetuated this misinterpretation. Now, according to these reports, the story goes that the City “backed down” to our grassroots effort to harvest maple syrup or that “the City is not impressed” with what we have done.

I’d like to clarify that our relationship with the City has been very positive while launching this pilot program. Our intention was always to harvest from backyard trees on private property, for which we received a go-ahead from the City when we let them know of our well-researched plans. (If a homeowner is interested in doing something similar, they can also check this over with the City to make sure that all is being done in the best interest of trees. Urban maples, after all, are under many more stresses than their rural counterparts, so the advice of City staff is a great resource.) We also inquired about tapping trees on City property; the decision was not to tap trees on public land, a decision which we respect.

It’s great that this program has received media attention and helped spread the word about the bounty from our urban forest. However, the controversy it seemed to stir up just wasn’t there.