LANESBOROR, Mass. -- Maple syrup producer Dan Carmel is fixing tree taps at his farm in Lanesboro. Last month's devastating ice storms caused severe damage to his trees and he's still trying to get his sap collecting back on tap.

"We had to cut trees off our lines. We had a lot of man hours trying to fix and repair everything on top of what we already do," said Carmel.

But his farm was spared even worse damage. Maple producers in higher elevations saw crops almost destroyed from the ice storms. But now federal help is on the way.

"We'll pay for debris cleanup in the woods themselves. We'll pay for replacement and restoration of main tap lines," said USDA Berkshire County Farm Service executive director Aimee Thayer.

The USDA has secured $300,000 to help maple farmers clean up and keep prices stabilized.

"A lot of people won't be able to tap at all if their sugar bushes were destroyed," said Thayer.

Getting maple syrup from these trees is completely weather dependent. Basically, a farmer drills a hole in the tree, inserts a tap, then let's Mother Nature take over. The sap is gravity fed right down to the base of the hill.

"This storm certainly had an impact on the long-term health of the forest. But it affects the sugar makers more than the forest," said Berkshire Natural Resources Council stewardship manager Doug Bruce.

Maple producers have until March 9 to apply for federal storm aid. But until then, farmers like Dan Carmel continue to tap trees while finding a solution to a sticky problem.