Photo by Chris Gaige Inside the sugarhouse at the Heaven Hill Farm in Lake Placid on Tuesday, March 18.

LAKE PLACID — Catch it if you can, it doesn’t last long.

Finding itself at the mercy of Mother Nature, and reliant upon a narrow sliver of sufficient weather conditions that manifest themselves for a fleeting few weeks between winter and spring, maple syrup season offers rich, or perhaps more accurately, sweet rewards for those able to partake in the season.

Fortunately, maple syrup production can be found all around the Olympic Region, with the area offering ample opportunities over the next couple of weeks to see the annual production process up close.

This week’s Visiting Lake Placid column seizes on the sweetness at hand, and heads to Heaven Hill Farm’s sugarbush. What is a “sugarbush,” exactly? Not to be confused with the ski resort one state over, the term refers to a maple-rich managed woodland that contains abundant sap-producing maple trees.

New this year, the farm was recognized by Audubon New York as a bird-friendly sugarbush. To achieve the certification, Heaven Hill needed to demonstrate that it was managed in accordance following features, according to Audubon New York’s website.

Photos by Chris Gaige A maple tree is tapped at the Heaven Hill Farm in Lake Placid on Tuesday, March 18. Above a seal recognizing the bird-friendly nature of the sugarbush by Audubon New York is seen on the sugarhouse at the Heaven Hill Farm in Lake Placid on Tuesday, March 18.

— A diversity of tree species and age classes, more than just mature sugar maple

— Complex structural diversity: layers of vegetation, from small seedlings on the forest floor, to saplings and shrubs, to the canopy overhead

— Standing dead trees and live trees with cavities; the bigger the better

— Large logs and branches on the forest floor

Taken together, sugarbushes with these features provide a rich habitat for forest birds, as well as creating a healthier and more sustainable forest for future maple sap flows.

A seal recognizing the bird-friendly nature of the sugarbush by Audubon New York is seen on the sugarhouse at the Heaven Hill Farm in Lake Placid on Tuesday, March 18.

New York State’s Maple Weekend is slated to kick off on Saturday, March 22. Despite its name, it’s actually a two-weekend celebration of the syrup all across the state, with dates of Sunday, March 23 and March 29-30. During those four days, participating maple syrup producers will showcase their processes and offer tours to the public.

In Lake Placid, there are two venues for folks to visit — and they just so happen to be on the same road — the Cornell University Uihlein Maple Research Forest, at 157 Bear Cub Lane, and the Uihlein Foundation’s Heaven Hill Farm, at 302 Bear Cub Lane. Both offer free admission.

I was able to get a sneak peek of the upcoming weekend’s events on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at the Heaven Hill Farm. Conditions that day perfectly encapsulated the season. Bright sunshine beamed down on the farm as temperatures lifted into the 40s, following a weekend that had been even warmer. Indeed, much of the snow had melted in the fields around the farmer.

Looking around, however, I was quickly reminded that winter may not yet have played its last card. Towering High Peaks — from Whiteface to Marcy to the MacIntyre Range — were still cased in a shiny crest of snow extending well down from their summits. On a clear day, which I was fortunate to have during my visit, the farm’s scenery is nothing short of stunning, a reason to visit in its own right.

After gazing at the surrounding landscape, I made my way to the farm’s sugarhouse, located on a hill behind the meticulously-maintained farmhouse. There, I met Sarah Manitta, who was in the midst of preparing wood — used to provide heat for boiling sap — and getting the Heaven Hill Farm’s sugarhouse ready for production.

The entrance sign for the Heaven Hill Farm is seen at 302 Bear Cub Lane in Lake Placid on Tuesday, March 18.

She provided an overview of the various equipment used to turn sap into syrup in the sugarhouse. Intensive is an understatement. Typically, it requires 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup, although the figure can vary based on the sap’s composition.

In addition to going over the production process, Manitta said Maple Weekend at Heaven Hill will include samples of maple syrup, lessons on how to tap a tree and a screening of video footage from the Paul Smith’s College archives that shows recordings of old-time maple syrup production in the region.

“That, I think, will be really fun for people to see,” she said.

Manitta also discussed how this season has played out so far. Manitta said it has been a slower start to the season than many recently because of the hearty winter locally. Last year, for example, she said the farm fired up at the end of February.

Manitta said a later start wasn’t necessarily going to lead to a slower season overall. She said what’s more important for the year’s overall production is when it ends, which is generally marked by when nighttime temperatures cease to dip below freezing.

“In the event that things do slowly thaw like they should, we could go for a couple more weeks,” Manitta said.

She added that it’s always tough for producers to know how long their seasons will last. For instance, she said even though maple syrup production started earlier than normal last year — at the end of February — it did not also end earlier than normal. Rather, below-freezing low temperatures persisted, leading to an extended season.

“Very, very yearly dependent,” she said.

In an ideal weather setup, Manitta said consistency is key.

“You really need a slow progression thaw,” she said. “So freezing temperatures at night and then thawing during the day. The sun really helps a lot.”

For more information on Maple Weekend, including a comprehensive map of participating locations across the state, visit mapleweekend.com.