Extinction is Forever - Sugar Maples

Endangered by Global Warming : Sugar Maples

• New England Icon: The sugar maple is a New England icon. For centuries, the trees' sap has provided a livelihood for generations of farmers, and maple syrup has become a $65 million per year industry.
• Warmer Seasons: Warmer winters and earlier springs have led to earlier and shorter "sugaring" seasons, the period when the trees' sap is running, and is putting a strain on this industry.
• Winter Freeze: During cold winters, sugar maples "recharge" themselves by letting the sap freeze from the inside of the tree out. They need these hard freezes to thrive, and warmer winters resulting from global warming will leave the trees vulnerable to pests.
• Vibrant Falls: The sugar maple is also the source of the brilliant autumn reds that make them the jewels of New England's fall landscape. Fall tourism is worth billions to New England.

In a new online campaign launched by Environmental Defense Fund, you can learn about the threat of global warming through the prism of seven "ambassador species" living plants and animals already feeling the heat.

Please visit EDF, take action and spread the word. It only takes a minute or two and YOU can make a difference.

Tags: global warming, extinction, sugar maples endangered