‘Huge financial loss’: N.S. maple farmer loses half of crop from storm Fiona

Owner of Haveracre Maple Farm in Antigonish says his farm will need decades to regrow after storm Fiona ripped through the region two weeks ago, tearing down trees.

Maple trees at a Nova Scotia farm took nearly a century to grow but were decimated within just hours during post-tropical storm Fiona. The farm owner says the devastating loss hasn’t even sunk in yet.

Jason Haverkort, owner of Haveracre Maple Farm in Antigonish, says his farm will need decades to regrow after storm Fiona ripped through the region two weeks ago, tearing down trees.

Haverkort estimates about 6,000 of his maple trees were killed — half of his tapping area.

“It’s going to be a huge financial loss… I’ll never see it back in my lifetime,” he said.

Maple trees can only be tapped if they’re mature, and the process can take decades.

“It’ll take fifty years for the trees to grow back. I’ll never see areas tapped again.”

Haverkort said the loss likely won’t fully sink in until next spring when he was expecting a big sap run and will now only see “a trickle.”

He’s been in the business for 23 years — he founded the company with his family where maple trees were naturally growing. He’s been able to expand it since then.