Aaron Wightman

Senior Extension Associate, Statewide Maple Specialist, Co-Director Cornell Maple Program, Natural Resources and the Environment Section

PhD Student, Natural Resources and the Environment Section

About

Aaron Wightman is an Extension Associate in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment where he serves as the Statewide Maple Specialist and Co-Director of the Cornell Maple Program. Aaron’s applied research and extension activities support the growth of the maple products industry. This work includes the full range of topics related to maple syrup production from sugarbush management to new product development with a focus on sustainability, efficiency, and profitability. Aaron also manages the 7,500 tap research sugarbush and maple laboratory at the Arnot Teaching and Research Forest.

Education

Bachelor of Arts 1997 Cornell University

Master of Forestry 1999 Virginia Tech

Doctor of Philosophy, current student, Cornell University, Natural Resources and the Environment

Recent Research

Aaron’s overarching research interest is supporting the growth of natural resource-based industries that incentivize sustainable forest management practices while also providing economic opportunity to rural communities with a focus on maple syrup production. His current research spans a broad range of topics including evaluating the potential for multi-crop sugarbush agroforestry systems, developing protocols for controlling microbial activity in sap to maximize syrup quality, testing new materials for sap collections systems, and creating novel maple products such as maple chocolate, kombucha, and sports drinks.

Contact Information

Arnot Forest, 611 County Rt 13, Van Etten, NY 14889 &
Fernow Hall G19
Ithaca, NY 14853

arw6 [at] cornell.edu

- Cornell Maple Program

Aaron in the news

A person in a forest with old trees and new plantings

News

April 10, 2025

More than maple: Cornell research designs sugarbush agroforestry systems

Virtually all of the world’s maple syrup is produced in Canada, the Northeast U.S. and some upper Midwestern U.S. states, where natural conditions for maple sugaring are perfect: wet summers, cold winters and springs with fluctuating...

Arnot Teaching and Research Forest
Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station
Natural Resources and the Environment Section