OHIO– You know it’s autumn in Ohio when the leaves start tumbling down. I spoke to Greg Smith, a forester at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, to find out how the trees get ready for fall and when we can expect to see those colors.
“Trees in Ohio are equipped to drop their leaves. They shed their leaves to survive for the winter. With the soft tissue with moisture in it would freeze and damage the tree. So what the tree wants to do is to create a layer between the stem and the pedal part of the leaf that hardens off, and when that hardens off, then the leaf will drop.”
So when will it actually look like fall?
“In Ohio, we are accustomed to colors changing in mid-October, but because of the extended dry weather and the heat…we are anticipating a later season this year.”
And it’s not so much the hot high temperatures that are making an impact.
“What triggers the leaves to change color are the longer nights. The trees are stressed out with all the heat and the dryness so that they shut down production. Sometimes that leads to dropping leaves just to save more moisture.”
But don’t stress, Ohio! Greg is still optimistic about this year’s Ohio fall foliage! The good thing is there are pockets, especially in the woods where moisture is conserved a little bit better, so hopefully, we will see those bright, vibrant colors in a landscape with lots and lots of trees.”
With nearly 20 percent of the state in a drought and our record-breaking heat, this year’s foliage might be delayed. And some fall color duller than in year’s past.
The leaves should peak in far NE first around the 4th week of October, then in northern the last week of October. Next, central Ohio will peak in the last days of October into early November and lastly southern and southwestern Ohio first to the second week in November.
ODNR still encourages Ohioans to check out their website for weekly progress reports across the state, fall events, planned routes, and getaways.
Click here for the website: http://fallcolor.ohiodnr.gov/
Email us your fall color pictures!
Meteorologist Robyn King
robyn.king@charter.com