{"id":44436,"date":"2021-10-02T01:47:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-02T07:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/why-climate-change-is-making-it-harder-to-chase-fall-foliage\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T03:19:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T09:19:26","slug":"why-climate-change-is-making-it-harder-to-chase-fall-foliage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/why-climate-change-is-making-it-harder-to-chase-fall-foliage\/","title":{"rendered":"Why climate change is making it harder to chase fall foliage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Engineer
Engineer Mountain behind changing colors last week near Coal Bank and Molas Pass. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

PORTLAND, Maine \u2014 Droughts that cause leaves to turn brown and wither before they can reach peak color. Heat waves prompting leaves to fall before autumn even arrives. Extreme weather events like hurricanes that strip trees of their leaves altogether.<\/p>\n

For a cheery autumnal activity, leaf peeping is facing some serious threats from the era of climate change.<\/p>\n

Leaf peeping, the practice of traveling to watch nature display its fall colors, is a beloved annual activity in many corners of the country, especially New England and New York. But recent seasons have been disrupted by weather conditions there and elsewhere, and the trend is likely to continue as the planet warms, said arborists, conservationists and ecologists.<\/p>\n

Typically, by the end of September, leaves cascade into warmer hues throughout the U.S. This year, many areas have yet to even pivot from their summer green shades. In northern Maine, where peak conditions typically arrive in late September, forest rangers had reported less than 70% color change and moderate leaf drop on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\"Aspens
Aspens showcase their autumn color Sept. 26 near Estes Park. Recent leaf-peeping seasons have been disrupted as the planet warms. (Brittany Peterson\/Associated Press)<\/span>AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A single leaf has changed color on a red maple Sept. 30, 2011, in Freeport, Maine. Recent leaf-peeping seasons have been disrupted by weather conditions in New England, New York and elsewhere. Arborists and ecologists say the trend is likely to continue as the planet warms. (Robert F. Bukaty\/Associated press file)<\/span>AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Across the country in Denver, high temperatures have left \u201cdead, dry edges of leaves\u201d early in the season, said Michael Sundberg, a certified arborist in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of trees doing this gradual change, they get thrown these wacky weather events. They change all of a sudden, or they drop leaves early,\u201d Sundberg said. \u201cIts been a few years since we\u2019ve had a really good leaf year where you just drive around town and see really good color.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reason climate change can be bad for fall foliage has a bit to do with plant biology. When fall arrives, and day length and temperature drop, the chlorophyll in a leaf breaks down, and that causes it to lose its green color. The green gives way to the yellows, reds and oranges that make for dramatic autumn displays.<\/p>\n

Achieving those peak colors is a delicate balance, and one jeopardized by changes in the environment, said Paul Schaberg, a research plant physiologist with the U.S. Forest Service based in Burlington, Vermont. Warm fall temperatures can cause leaves to remain green longer and delay the onset of what leaf peepers look for in terms of fall color, he said.<\/p>\n

Worse, dry summers can stress trees and cause their leaves to miss the fall color turn altogether, Schaberg said. A 2003 study in the journal Tree Physiology that Schaberg cowrote stated that \u201cenvironmental stress can accelerate\u201d leaf deterioration.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf climate change is going to mean significant drought, that means trees are going to shut down, and many trees are just going to drop their leaves,\u201d he said. \u201cSevere droughts that really mean that the tree just can\u2019t function \u2014 that doesn\u2019t improve color.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s happening already. This summer\u2019s heatwave in the Pacific Northwest<\/a> brought temperatures of over 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 Celsius) to Oregon, and that led to a condition called \u201cfoliage scorch,\u201d in which leaves prematurely browned, said Chris Still, a professor at the Forest Ecosystems & Society department at Oregon State University.<\/p>\n

The leaves\u2019 pigment was degraded and they fell shortly thereafter, Still said. That will lead to a less scenic fall season in parts of Oregon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a really big example of color change just due to heatwave shock,\u201d Still said.<\/p>\n

Climate change also poses longer-term threats that could disrupt leaf peeping. The spread of diseases and invasive pests and the northward creep of tree species are all factors tied to warming temperatures that could make for less vibrant fall colors, said Andrew Richardson, a professor of ecosystem science at Northern Arizona University.<\/p>\n

\"Vanessa
Vanessa Kei photographs aspens Sept. 26 in Eldora. (Brittany Peterson\/Associated Press file)<\/span>AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The onset of fall colors, which has been drifting later into the fall, could also continue to arrive later, said Jim Salge, foliage expert for Yankee magazine.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy observations in the last decade have had more years that were later than what we would consider historical averages,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The economic impact of poor leaf peeping seasons could also be consequential. Officials throughout New England have said fall tourism brings billions of dollars into those states<\/a> every year.<\/p>\n

Conservationists say that\u2019s a good reason to focus on preserving forests and reducing burning fossil fuels. Recent fall seasons have been less spectacular than typical in Massachusetts, but leaf peeping can stay a part of the state\u2019s heritage if forests are given the protections they need, said Andy Finton, landscape conservation director and forest ecologist for The Nature Conservancy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can keep the big, important forests intact, they will provide what we\u2019ve depended on \u2014 clean air, clean water, clean forests, as well as fall inspiration,\u201d Finton said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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