Maple syrup producers suffering losses due to Fiona

Maple syrup producers hard hit by Fiona Maple syrup producers in Nova Scotia have been hit hard by Fiona. One of them in Antigonish County lost half of his trees.

Maple syrup producers in Nova Scotia have been hit hard by Fiona. One of them in Antigonish County lost half of his trees.

They stood for 75 years, tucked away but towering nonetheless, cared for by Jason Haverkort until Fiona.

“It almost looks like there was a chain reaction,” Haverkort, a maple syrup producer, tells CTV Atlantic. “There was tops of trees laying on the one in front of it.”

Six thousand trees were knocked down in a single day. Elsewhere, trees cut off power or harmed homes. For Haverkort, it’s his maple syrup production.

“It’s heartbreaking,” he said. “We’ve been cutting a lot of them up and it’s just a shame to be putting the power-saw to them.”

Haverkort estimates he’s lost between 50 and 60 per cent of his maple syrup production due to Fiona’s fury, and he thinks it’s going to take 50 years for these trees to grow back.

For the 46-year-old producer of a Canadian staple, it’s devastating.

“I lost the trees forever. I’m not just going to be down for one year, I’m going to be down for the rest of my life,” Haverkort said.

Farmland in Antigonish County was hit hard by Fiona.

Acres of corn were crushed and trees along with a trail system were also levelled.

Now two weeks later, some routes have opened. For others, it’ll be a while.

“At this point, to get it back open as a loop, will probably be 2023,” said Justine Simpson, manager of Keppoch.

Nova Scotia’s premier has stopped by the maple farm.

Haverkort is expecting the federal Minister of Agriculture to do the same this week, considering he’s not insured for his losses.

“I really don’t know what to expect but I don’t know what I’m going to do if I don’t get some help,” he said.