How Sweet: More Maple Syrup Producers Are Managing Their Forests for Birds

At Nature’ly Sweet farm, located in Merrill, Wisconsin, owner Christopher Petron doesn’t only cherish the sugar maple trees that help produce the syrup he sells. He prizes the full diversity of oaks, birches, and other plant species that provide valuable habitat for local birds. “My natural go-to instinct when managing the forest is thinking about the birds and thinking about how I’m not the only one here that wants to use this space,” he says.

 This year Petron became the first in his state to join Audubon’s Bird-Friendly Maple program, which recognizes producers who commit to managing their maple forest stands—called sugarbushes—for the conservation of birds. In the United States, the same stretches of forest used in maple syrup production also serve as crucial breeding habitat for a diverse range of birds, according to Steve Hagenbuch, who leads the Bird-Friendly Maple program and is Audubon Vermont’s senior forests program manager. The program brings landowners onboard to help protect more than 70 species known to spend the nesting season among sugar maple stands, from Black-throated Blue Warblers foraging in the understory to Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers drilling holes in tree trunks.

Since starting in Vermont in 2014, Audubon’s program has expanded to enroll around 150 businesses across the Northeast and Great Lakes regions, with more slated to join by the end of this year. Today, bird-friendly stands make up just over 20,000 of the 310,800 total acres dedicated to maple syrup production in the United States.

All these producers agree to follow a specific set of forest management measures that boost birdlife and improve the ecosystem’s health. “We get them to manage for bird habitat, general biodiversity benefits, forest health benefits, climate resilience benefits, carbon storage benefits—all of the things you could think of that relate to a forest,” Hagenbuch says. For example, they must retain a variety of native shrubs, minimize the presence of invasive plants, and leave dead standing trees in place.

As opposed to only maintaining a monoculture of maple, landowners who take these extra steps ensure birds have the varied habitat they need to find food and lay their eggs in the spring and summer. This way, Wood Thrushes can nest within saplings, Ruffed Grouse can drum on logs, and Ovenbirds can look for insects in leaf litter.

In return, producers receive Bird-Friendly Maple stickers to place on their products. Featuring a red male Scarlet Tanager, this eye-catching program logo helps promote their goods to conservation-minded customers—and invites interest from those curious to learn more. “People ask, ‘What does that mean?’ and it’s a pretty easy conversation to have,” says Craig Myers, co-owner of Tails & Trails Farm in Cuba, New York. “Because who doesn’t want to make things better for the birds? Their habitat is really threatened right now.”

The science backs that up: From 1970 to 2025, breeding birds in Eastern forests have experienced an estimated 27 percent population decline, with habitat loss as a major factor. For producers like Sharon Myers, Craig’s wife and farm co-owner, helping reverse that trend is well worth the extra effort. “We’re being very strategic in using what Mother Nature gives us without destroying it for the commercial use,” she says.

This story originally ran in the Fall 2026 issue as “A Sweet Deal.” To receive our print magazine, become a member by making a donation today.