Warm, balmy weather in March is enjoyable for most people — unless you are a maple sugar producer.

The mild winter and early onset of spring warmth is having varied effects on maple syrup production across the Northeast, and the harvest could be down from last year, according to several producers in New York.

Holes made in trees, or taps, allow maple syrup producers to collect the sap which is then boiled to reduce the water in the liquid, resulting in the recognizable maple syrup. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup. 

It was the earliest start and could be the earliest end to the season in years, cutting into profits, according to Robyn Pearl, spokeswoman for the New Hampshire Maple Producers Association. Some producers in maple-rich states such as Maine and New York tapped trees as early as January this year, which is atypical in an industry when March is usually the money month, according to The Associated Press. 

“It was definitely the earliest start in 25 years,” said Brian Folsom of Folsom Sugar House in Chester, New Hampshire. 

Although it allowed for an early start, the consistent warm weather has “definitely slowed the sap down,” according to Wesley Sitts, one of the owners of the North Franklin Maple Syrup Company in North Franklin, New York.

“We haven’t gathered as much sap as we have in the past,” Sitts said. “And I don’t believe the sugar content has been as good as in prior years. I’ll be off a couple hundred gallons of syrup. It’s a poor year, there’s no doubt.” 

Christopher Hicks, of The Sugarhouse at Morningstar Farm in Plaistow, New Hampshire, has also produced less than normal. Hicks typically produces about 1,000 gallons a year but this year “We’ve made about a third of what we usually do.” 

Successful sap collection and syrup production depends on the weather being “just right,” according to Sitts, who said 60- and 70-degree days create bacteria in sap, the majority of which is boiled out. The ideal weather would be 45-degree days with winds from the west and 25-degree nights, he added.

Last year, New Hampshire experienced one of the latest seasons in years when an unusually cold and snowy winter wreaked havoc on the industry. The cold caused sap to freeze in trees and nearly three feet of snow made it difficult for producers to tap them. 

While Canada is the largest producer of maple syrup in the world, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service the United States produced 3.4 million gallons in 2015. 

The top ten producing states are Vermont, New York, Maine, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Michigan, Ohio, Massachusetts and Connecticut.