Does Wisconsin also produce maple? Or am I including them because the Northeastern maple areas are also pretty large cheese & other dairy areas?

From my understanding, it's not just getting really cold that's needed. The trick is cold nights & warm days. If we get a really warm spell at the wrong time of year with it staying warm at night as well the sap all runs up at once, the trees leaf out & there's not much maple syrup that year.

Is it safe to assume that other maples & other tree species have sap that is not as naturally sweet?

I can see where only northern Scotland might have the right conditions for good sap production. What about the Scandinavian countries, do they have any equivalent?

I have a small block of pure maple that I bought from a local syrup producer. I guess I can put the whole thing in boiling water to make syrup. I thought I was supposed to be able to grate it for use in smaller amounts, but it is so hard I can't seem to do a thing with it. Anyone familiar with this & have any suggestions?