Maple sap flowing at Ryerson Woods

Spring is nearly here - and that means the maple sap is flowing at the Ryerson Woods Forest Preserve near Riverwoods.

The Lake County Forest Preserve District hosted hikes at the preserve Sunday to kick off syrup season. Participants learned how sugar maples produce sap and how it's turned into edible syrup as they tramped through the forest.

"Three weekends in March we have the maple syrup programs. There is only a short window where you can do it because, right about now, the buds are starting to come out of the trees and the sap becomes starchy and you can't make syrup of it then," environmental educator Mark Hurley said.

Ryerson Woods is one of the few places in Lake County where conditions are right for maple syrup production, officials say. It also has trees large enough to allow for sap tapping.

"The kids are having a great time learning about all the different processes of making maple syrup," said Lake Forest resident Tyler Hough, who brought his children, Jonathan and Amanda, to learn about the maple syrup process. "It is one of the things they certainly love with their pancakes at home."