The Star Beacon; Ashtabula, Ohio

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August 25, 2012

Dry spell, hot temps could impact fall foliage

By MARK TODD - mtodd@starbeacon.com Star Beacon

ASHTABULA COUNTY — The region’s dry, hot summer could put a dent in the quality of colors trees will display this fall, but it’s not too late for Mother Nature to salvage the show with the right blend of moisture and temperature, experts said Friday.

Sizzling temperatures — including a record-breaking July — and the prolonged dry spell have some people wondering the impact on the region’s foliage. Rod Raker, chairman of Conneaut’s Tree Commission, isn’t optimistic.

“I don’t think we’re going to see spectacular fall color,” he said. “The trees are just going to stagger through it. They just haven’t had a good chance to manufacture food for themselves.”

Ohio’s trees generally start changing in mid-September and hit their peak in October. However, the unusual weather that prompted some trees to get a jump start on the process. “You could start seeing some color now,” Raker said.

The reason is the stress some trees are experience because of the dry spell, Raker said. Tree are starting to shut down, and the green that dominates the other pigments in leaves is fading, allowing other colors to be displayed, he said.

Ashtabula County may see a wild swing in colors, depending on location, said Casey Burdick, a forester with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Trees in thick forested areas create a natural canopy that shades roots from harsh sun and helps preserve ground water, she said. As a result, they endure less stress and their color transformation will start later, Burdick said.

Trees in urban, populated areas are thinned out, meaning their root base can be more exposed and more vulnerable to heat, drought and disease, Burdick said. That can lead to stress and premature color, she said.

“Urban trees are getting direct sunlight and an extreme environment,” Burdick said.

The autumn changeover may be starting sooner than usual for some trees, but the quality of color is still to be determined. The right blend of temperatures is needed to separate dull from delightful, Burdick said.

“We need nice, cool nights and bright, sunny days,” she said.

Even though trees have suffered through a harsh year, most will retain enough strength to ward off the coming winter, Burdick said. “A string of bad years, that’s another matter,” she said.

Still, the region’s trees could use a boost as they head into the harsh winter season, Raker said. That means some water — and the sooner the better, he said.

“We need some rain,” Raker said. “It would mean better preparation for winter if we can enliven the trees.”

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