Maple Education Program

Harley MacKenzie planted enough maple trees in the arboretum to create a “sugarbush” – an area where maple trees are tapped to collect the sap and produce maple syrup or sugar.

Each spring the MacKenzie Center welcomes students to our sugarbush to learn the process and history of making maple syrup in Wisconsin through our Maple Education Program. We invite the general public to participate during the annual MacKenzie Maple Syrup Festival on first Saturday of April. During maple season, we tap over 100 trees and reach over 1,200 students in the education program. We typically collect around 1000 gallons of sap and produce around 35-40 gallons of pure maple syrup.

A typical Maple Program starts with exploring the signs of spring and learning the basics of tree biology. Once students understand how to identify a healthy sugar maple tree, they are able to select a tree and tap it with their small group. After their buckets are hung, the group will travel back through time to learn different methods of processing sap, as some Native American tribes and Pioneers may have done. Finally, the groups will see how we process sap today at the MacKenzie Center to make what we call “MacKenzie Gold.” Lucky students will even get a taste!

How to schedule a school group for a Maple Education Program field trip

Contact MacKenzie Center education staff at 608-635-8112 or [email protected] to learn about the scheduling process.

Need help with cost? Apply 30 days prior to the date.