Weather report

Because the earth is slowly warming, the range for the trees is slowly migrating north. A U.S. Forest Service study published in 1999 predicts that eventually it will be too warm for sugar maples to survive in the eastern U.S. Warnings about global warming often include predictions of devastating change: rising sea levels, outbreaks of disease, monster hurricanes. The plight of the maples seems to pale in comparison, but it has Vermont planner Mark Eldridge, AICP, very worried indeed. 'Climate is a major issue for us,' says Eldridge, the director of planning and zoning for the city of Burlington. Maple sugar, along with skiing, brings the state hundreds of millions of dollars each year. And both are subject to the whim of the weather. Eldridge is a member of the city's Climate Protection Task Force. In January, the task force released a draft plan outlining how this small city could start to tackle global warming. Over 60 other cities have comparable plans, but Eldridge says that Burlington is the first in the Northeast.