We are excited to announce that a research team of Gabriel Karns, Kathy Smith, Les Ober, and Steve Matthews received a 2020 USDA ACER grant award – “Freeman’s Maple (red x silver) Potential for Syrup Production and Resilience in Ohio’s Forests.” Over $200,000 will make possible several research and extension elements, including but not limited to: comparative research on sap yield and sugar content between sugar, red, and “rilver” maples in the Mansfield sugarbush; engagement with Ohio maple producers on forest invasive insects; and expansion of the crop tree demonstration plots to include sap research and tree vigor research, also at the Mansfield campus.
Stay tuned for updates, the award has been officially in the system for just over a week, and we have already gathered a batch of maple leaves for genetic analyses to unravel more about the red x silver maple hybrid known formally as Acer freemanii and informally as a Freeman’s or rilver maple.
