Maple Industry While the maple industry has been present in Saint Quentin since the beginning of colonisation, it is only in recent years that it has flourished to become an important pillar of the local economy. In previous times, maple groves were used for personal and family needs.  Near the end of March the sugar season arrived and, wearing light snowshoes, the maple farmers tapped the trees.  Originally, the cut was made using the corner of an axe, and the water from the maple was collected in bark containers and boiled in a large cauldron.  To transport the maple water to the cabin, the sugar producers attached a cedar barrel to a sled.  A frosty night, followed by a sunny day provided the best conditions for ensuring a good flow, and April’s warm days brought with them bounteous amounts of sugar.  As time passed, the equipment used to boil the maple water gradually evolved: metal, then plastic, boilers were installed, followed, finally, by a network of tubes to collect the water from the trees.   First Maple farm at Jardine Brook Transformation factory for maple products   The most productive maples are sugar maples, red maples and gold maples.  During the sugar season, an average tree produces between 35 and 50 litres of sap, which makes 1 to 1.5 litres of syrup. The maple provides a number of assets of great value to Saint Quentin.  A source of valuable wood products, it is of exceptional commercial significance to the region.  As well, the maple both nourishes the maple sugar industry and contributes to the beauty of the landscape.  There are currently more than 10 302 acres of maples being exploited by approximately twenty maple farmers.  The owners of the maple groves tap 1 500 000 trees each year.  A cooperative organisation, The Maple Syrup Producers of New Brunswick Cooperative Inc., has even developed its own brand name, Restigouche, and established a bottling plant for its products.