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Thursday, November 21, 2024
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Recent Change in DNR Land Management Policy Puts Local Syrup Producer at Risk

Maple syrup pro­duction is a time-hon­ored tradition in Min­nesota. The state’s diverse forests offer ample opportunities for tapping into this sweet endeavor. The Minnesota Depart­ment of Natural Re­sources (DNR) man­ages vast tracts of public land, including state forests and state parks, where respon­sible maple syrup harvesting is permit­ted.

Maple Hill Sugar­bush & Farm has op­erated for 25 years, producing maple syr­up from sap gathered under a DNR-issued maple tapping permit near Grand Marais. Mark and Melinda Spinler, operators of Maple Hill, are local farmers who have produced maple syrup for forty years. Over the last 25 years, they have sold syrup at their sugar house, the local farmers market, and local retailers.

Part of their sugar bush is on the Spin­ler’s property, but most of their sap comes from an ad­joining 10-acre maple stand on DNR-man­aged state land. The Spinlers were given a tapping lease by DNR officials in 1998 and told it could be re­newed indefinitely. They have faithfully renewed the tapping permit each year.

With the assurance of renewable permits, the Spinlers invested their savings, bought commercial produc­tion equipment, built a sugar house, and installed a system to bring sap from the leased stand directly into storage tanks at the sugar house.

Last winter, the DNR informed the Spinlers that they could no longer lease the maple stand that was a crucial part of their farm income. The DNR had award­ed a logging contract for the parcel. DNR has given the Spinlers until December 2024 to remove all the gath­ering systems they in­stalled and maintained over the past 25 years.

The new DNR poli­cy only allows annual permits with taps and collection equipment set up each winter and taken down each spring. This is not a practical option for the Spinlers’ small operation. Accord­ing to the Spinlers, even with help from friends who volun­teer to help, estab­lishing the necessary system each winter in the current stand and then removing it each spring is impossible.

Notably, the Mn DNR Forestry Divi­sion hadn’t directly contacted the Spin­lers since their ma­ple tapping lease was started 25 years ago. The Spinlers were unaware of the rule change and the timber sale that would effec­tively put them out of business.

The Spinlers are beloved members of the Cook County community. They are local farmers and for­mer bike shop owners who also operate a chimney cleaning ser­vice. Their syrup-pro­ducing operation provides them with a significant source of income.

The Spinler’s 15-acre sugarbush (ten of which is on DNR land) is ideal for a maple tapping oper­ation having mature maples, a natural grade leading to their homestead located a 1⁄4 mile away, and no other designated use by the state. It’s a remote stand entirely out of the public eye and rarely sees peo­ple other than the Spinlers and their friends, who help them tap the maple­s each spring.

The Spinlers have written, “Minnesota prides itself on local production of nat­ural foods, and the state should allow us to continue provid­ing locally produced maple syrup for our community.” For more informa­tion, contact Mark and Melinda at ma­ple@boreal.org or call or text 218-370- 9497.

Steve Fernlund
Steve Fernlund
Typically these “about me” pages include a list of academic achievements (I have none) and positions held (I have had many, but who really cares about those?) So, in the words of the late Admiral James Stockwell, “Who am I? Why am I here?” I’m well into my seventh decade on this blue planet we call home. I’m a pretty successful husband, father, and grandfather, at least in my humble opinion. My progeny may disagree. We have four children and five grandchildren. I spent most of my professional life in the freight business. At the tender age of 40, early retirement beckoned and we moved to Grand Marais. A year after we got here, we bought and operated the Cook County News Herald, a weekly newspaper in Grand Marais. A sharp learning curve for a dumb freight broker to become a newspaper editor and publisher. By 1999 the News Herald was an acquisition target for a rapidly consolidating media market. We sold our businesses and “retired” again, buying a winter retreat in Nevada. In the fall of 2016, we returned to Grand Marais and bought a house from old friends of ours on the ridge overlooking Lake Superior. They were able to move closer to family and their Mexico winter home. And we came home to what we say is our last house. I’m a strong believer in the value of local newspapers--both online and those you can wrap a fish in. I write a weekly column and a couple of feature stories for the Northshore Journal. I’m most interested in writing about the everyday lives of local people and reporting on issues of importance to them.
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