The mild winter could shorten the maple sap run this year, but it could also make 2012 a dark, flavorful year for maple syrup, according to a Cornell University expert.

Brian Chabot, professor of ecology, said the mild weather Ïcertainly fits the predictions of climate models that forecast both climate warming and increased variability of climates in the Northeast. We saw in January and February the alternating freezing and thawing required for sap production that are more typical of March. Nervous producers started tapping a week or more earlier than normal hoping they didn’t miss too many of the days with the right conditions,Ó Chabot said.

ÏThe main concern is whether producers in warmer areas of the state will have fewer days when the sap is flowing, leading to lower amounts of syrup. Warmer weather also causes yeast and bacteria to grow faster in the sap, which may lead to darker, more flavorful syrup.