This image is also available in the  360 Mobile Gallery   (compatible iPad|iPhone|iPod touch|Android|Blackberry).

Moncton Maple Sugar Camp in a 360° Virtual Tour

The First Sugar Camp in Canada Owned and Operated by a Municipality

Many years ago, when the city of Moncton acquired lands in the Turtle Creek watershed to create (or perhaps to expand) the city’s drinking water reservoir, it unwittingly also got old maple sugar camp. After careful consideration, it was decided to take advantage of this natural resource. Modern equipment was installed to collect the sap from the maple trees. Then, in order to transform the sap into maple syrup and also to allow visitors to see the process, a small building in easily accessible location was built. This is where this interactive 360° image was captured.

In the scene, you can see some of the steps involved in the transformation process: carefully monitoring the boiling, bottling the syrup, checking the colour and quality, labeling, boxing, etc. The big metal tank visible in the image is called an evaporator. It boils the sap to evaporate some of the water until the sugar content reaches a certain level. When the sap comes out of the tree, the sugar content is between 2 and 3 percent; during boiling, the sugar percentage rises and when it reaches 66.6%, it becomes maple syrup. Boiling it some more will make the syrup even more concentrated and eventually turn into butter, cream or traditional maple sugar.

To learn more, arrange for an educational tour during the maple sugar season, around mid-March to mid-April. Tours are offered to interested schools, groups and individuals. The web site address is below.

The City of Moncton was the first municipality in Canada to own and operate a maple sugar camp, also known as a sugar bush. The operation is self-sustained by the revenue generated by the sale of maple products. Various products are available at the Moncton Sugar Camp. Special bottles are available for special events and as corporate gifts.

For More Information

Please visit the Moncton Sugar Camp page on the City of Moncton website: www.moncton.ca