Jesse Brown's Outdoors

The Carolina Leaf Change in 2019

By Jesse Brown's

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This time of year the Carolina Outdoors shares its beauty with anyone willing to open their eyes to see.  The reason?  The leaves begin their metamorphosis from GREEN to the reds, oranges & yellows of fall.  & we get to enjoy.

So for the educational portion, let’s go back to our Jr. High biology Class:  In the fall, with the change in temperature and the length of daylight the leaves stop their food-making process, chlorophyll breaks down & the green leaf color turns into the beautiful brights mentioned before.

Fall, winter & spring were fairly wet in 2018 & 2019, respectively, however late summer & earlier this fall the drought was upon us which included record breaking October high temperatures.

What does that mean for our current 2019 season?  According to Western Carolina University Biology Professor Dr. Beverly Collins, we can expect an “immediate” color change for both Carolinas.  This is due to the late season leaf change which was primarily caused by the unseasonably high temperatures that we had early in October.

The good news?  Our peak across the board will be the last week of October.  The bad news is that it will be fast & certain tree leaves just gave up & went straight from green to brown.

During normal leaf change seasons, elevation plays a huge part, according to Dr. Collins.  Plus, in the mountains where our roads have improved so much over the past 75 years (Interstates, paved highways, & the 469 mile Blue Ridge Parkway) enables us to be at its high point at Richland Balsam near Waynesville, NC at 6053 feet above sea level down to 649 feet where it crosses the James River in Virginia.

Forest and canopy health overall remains stable overall but it can depend on the specific locale to know the true wellness of the Carolina’s tree canopy.

Bill Bartee & TJ “the DJ” Boggs

highlights:

  • How Dr. Collins says the forests are both “aggrading” and “under attack” at the same time
  • Why Dr. Collins says it has “not been a big mast year” and the implications on wildlife

More insight from The Outdoor Guys:

E-mail Dr. Collins: collinsb@email.wcu.edu

 

The Outdoor Guys from Jesse Brown’s podcast can be heard wherever you listen to podcasts, at www.JesseBrowns.com & via the airwaves of WBT Radio, early on Saturday mornings.