Tree Stress

I know it looks beautiful, but those trees are turning way too early. In fact, they started turning back in July! The strange weather -- 80 degree days back in March followed by frosts, long dry spells followed by torrential downpours, and hotter than normal summers in general -- is no doubt taking a toll. The trees most affected are the maples, which you see turning in that photo above. Birches also seem to be particularly stressed -- they started yellowing back in July, too, and have started losing their leaves already. One day last week I was outside down by the barn when a breeze came up, and the sudden rustling of falling leaves from a nearby birch had me suddenly thinking and feeling like we were in mid-autumn .. except it was 80° in mid-August.

 

Here's another view, taken to the right of the shot above:

You can see not only the color changes but also how thin some of the deciduous tree tops are. The small birch at the very bottom of the photo has already lost all of its leaves.

 

This next view is looking down to the horse sheds:

 

We've seen this happening everywhere we've been in northern New Hampshire and Vermont -- not sure how widespread it is elsewhere. It's just a few species so far, which is fortunate. The one tree we have that is clearly thriving is the big oak next to the front yard; not surprising, I suppose, since oaks are one of the trees that are expected to "move" north as the climate warms.

 

When I say "hotter than normal summers," there is real data behind that. Every week the local paper publishes a weather summary for Lancaster, including previous year temperatures for that same week and the 30-year average. The monthly average maximum temperature for July 2012 was 81.3°, while the 30-year average for July is 78.8°. (July 2011 was 81.5°.)

 

It's too soon to know what this will mean for the "real" autumn colors still to come. This early taste of fall is ... tasting rather strange.

 

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Comments

[Ann]

I've been hearing from people in my home state of New Jersey that the leaves are starting to turn a bit up there. The weather nationwide is so unpredictable. Here in the coastal area of South Carolina, the leaves don't always turn at all...most of the time they just go from green to brown and then fall off.

[Vicki]

Here on the NH seacoast apple harvest is coming about a month earlier than it used to. Also in my yard the oak trees are dropping dead leaves and the oaks are usually the very last to fall. We had such a mild winter last year. I do wonder what these early traditional signs of fall mean for the winter ahead.
Interesting to hear from others in different parts of the country and what they are noticing too.

[stephanie]

I live in North Central Pennsylvania and the trees have started turning here too. I am concerned about this winter...

[Betsy]

Here in MN. lots of the leaves on the trees have been turning yellow and falling. It's 85 degrees today and it just doesn't feel right.

[Tonya Allen]

Same here. Our leaves have been falling for about 2 weeks. We had an extremely hot July and an oddly cool mid-August. Who knows what winter will be like!

[Anne in FL]

Has it affected the apple trees too?? Strange weather for sure all over the country.

[Dairy machine]

i enjoy reading this blog, so awesome! keep it up!

[Amy]

Way over here in Minnesota, I'm seeing maples turning red already too, and some have been doing that in little spots for weeks. Crazy.

[Chris Kunka]

I noticed in early August that here in central Illinois the crops and trees looked more like late september, which is close to harvest. This has been one messed up year!

[DarcC]

I see it in MA too, where I'm bringing back an old farm. As I harvest trees I am re-planting with species that thrive a bit farther south. I long for a sugar bush but so many here are dying, not sure if it is even worth trying.