Already on some days, you can feel a cool chill in the air. Every night in the early hours you can see the long shadows cast by the setting sun. Around wetlands in lowlands, spot red leaf spots.
Those who have made it their life’s work to study New Hampshire’s trees are also feeling and seeing the signs of change, and are predicting the state’s brilliant fall foliage season this year.
“It’s the perfect canvas to paint all the colors of this fall,” said Steven Loberge, a state forestry expert at the UNH Cooperative Extension. “We have never had defoliation. Driving through the state, we can see that the canopy is very well developed, leafy and generally very healthy.”
He quickly dismissed the notion that this year’s wetter-than-usual summer would affect the quality of the state’s fall foliage, pointing out that the only weather that affects fall foliage is the weather during the foliage season. .
“The best color comes from healthy trees,” says Kevin Smith, a tree physiologist who has worked for 36 years with the USDA Forest Service in Durham. “So, in my opinion, the best predictor of fall foliage is whether the trees are healthy at the onset of fall. It’s becoming a good season, so basically I recommend going outside and enjoying the autumn leaves.”
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New Hampshire is famous for doing just that. According to the NH Travel and Tourism Development Authority, last fall he saw 3.5 million tourists attend the autumn leaf viewing. While here, they spent his $1.7 billion, and the fall foliage season contributed greatly to the state’s economy.
These tree experts say there is no need to worry that this summer’s excessive rainfall will affect fall foliage and tourism.
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Roberge said the humid summer weather could increase fungi on trees and contribute to diseases such as anthracnose, but he doesn’t think that will be a problem this fall. Ta.
Smith agrees. “Certainly, leaf quality can be affected by leaf diseases. Anthracnose is a type of disease caused by fungi that occurs on maples and oaks. They occur every year,” says Smith. Told. “They affect different species at different times of the year, and humidity helps drive that.”
But Smith said there were no signs that another disease, anthracnose or tar spot, would get worse this fall, nor did trees in the state show signs of moisture stress.
Already the trees around us are beginning to receive the message that it is time to prepare for winter. As the days get shorter and the amount of sunlight decreases, “a set of pre-programmed instructions in the tree’s genetic code kicks in. It takes cues from the environment,” says Smith.
“As the days get shorter, the amount of light that trees receive causes them to start reducing chlorophyll production and putting it back into their trunks, branches and roots,” L’Oberge says. “While we are talking, the leaves are closing.”
Until colorful leaves are made
The yellows and golds of autumn are already appearing on the leaves, hidden by the green of chlorophyll. As it decomposes, it leaves behind a yellow pigment that becomes visible, Roberge said. This is a natural process of wood and is not affected by external factors.
“No matter what happens in the summer, yellow will pop,” Roberge said.
External influences create the red or maroon color of the foliage.
“The red color we see depends on the weather in the fall,” says Roberge. “Sunny, warm days and cool nights produce, develop, and intensify these pigments, giving us the bright reds, maroons, and purples.”
These vibrant colors, Smith said, “come from an orderly process in which trees collect as much of the good stuff in their leaves as they can and then shed those leaves.” . It is part of the tree’s life strategy. ”
When is the best time to see fall foliage in New Hampshire?
Roberge said it’s impossible to predict exactly when the peak of autumn foliage will be, but based on the time of the past few years, it usually happens between mid-September and late October.
“It’s usually a three-week period from late September to early October,” he said. “Then, in late October, the oak leaves are brilliant red against the green of the white pines.
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Smith said the best fall foliage or fall foliage peak in the state is usually “the week before and after Indigenous Peoples Day.”
Of course, the weather can affect the viewing of autumn foliage. “How different it is to see a bright scarlet against a gray sky versus a Bluebird against a blue sky, but both are wonderful,” Smith said.
Loverge said it could be shortened due to the weather during the fall foliage season. “A lot of rain, strong winds and tropical storms can cause leaves to drop. Trees are ready to shed their leaves,” he said.
New Hampshire, Sea Coast, where is the best place for fall foliage in your town?
Smith recommends “old-school standards” Franconia Notch State Park, Sandwich Notch, Mount Kearsarge, Odiown State Park, or the area around Little Boar’s Head in North Hampton.
“The walk from Prescott Park in Portsmouth to Pierce Island can also be a nice touch of color at just the right moment,” says Smith. “The two-lane back roads are beautiful everywhere. Get lost around Hopkinton and Contute Cook. The mountains are great and we spend most of our time in the mountains for field research, but you don’t necessarily have to go there. Wherever you are. You can be beautiful.”
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He urges New Hampshire residents to get out and enjoy the fall foliage, even if it’s just to go to the post office or grocery store.
“Take a deep breath. We live in an area of the world with beautiful autumn foliage and we should take advantage of that,” he said. “Particularly in northern New England, a diverse mix of hardwood species such as maple, birch, beech and poplar is highly favored, and it is the combination that makes the New Hampshire landscape so special.”
Loberge agrees that the province is blessed with “elevation and leaf variety diversity.”
“New Hampshire’s landscape, which stretches from the coast to the forest line from south to north, is so lucky that we can enjoy a variety of autumn foliage for weeks,” said Roberge. “When I travel to the state, I am struck by how wonderful it is each year.
Watch fall foliage in New Hampshire, Maine, and more
Here are some resources for tracking your fall foliage progress this year.
Weekly reports on fall foliage in New Hampshire: visitnh.gov/seasonal-trips/fall/foliage-reports
NH Autumn Leaves Tracker: visitnh.gov/seasonal-trips/fall/foliage-tracker
Projected peak fall foliage for regions in New Hampshire based on historical data: visitnh.gov/seasonal-trips/fall/peak-foliage-map
Planning a fall foliage trip in New Hampshire, recommended driving route: Visit – newhampshire.com/state/foliage
Maine weekly fall foliage forecast and road trip information: maine.gov/dacf/mfs/projects/fall_foliage/index.shtml
Old Farmer’s Almanac foliage map: almanac.com/fall-foliage-color-map-when-peak-foliage
