AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) Spring flowers might not be blooming in Maine, but the spring sap is flowing.

Republican Gov. Paul LePage tapped a tree outside the governor’s mansion on Tuesday to mark the coming of Maple Syrup Sunday. Mainers celebrate maple syrup every fourth Sunday of March by visiting sugarhouses all over the state.

LePage says the state’s maple industry is “growing in output and importance.” The state produced more than 700,000 gallons of maple syrup last year, up 5 percent from the previous year. The number of taps also went up 2 percent and gallons per tap were up 3 percent. The state has nearly 2 million taps.

Maple Syrup Sunday has become a weekend-long affair, as many sugarhouses that open to the public do so on both Saturday and Sunday.