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Foliage Season Moving Along at Full Speed

October 11, 2010 - AUGUSTA -- They may only come out in the fall but those brilliant reds, oranges and yellows that bring tourists to Maine to spend their green are there in the leaves all summer.

The colors only make their appearance in the fall, when the chlorophyl that makes leaves green breaks down.

When the chlorophyl breaks down, the more colorful pigmentation such as red, orange or yellow in the leaf, which was there all along, shows through.

"In the fall, when the tree no longer needs those leaves, it breaks down the chlorophyl, which is the green pigment," said William Ostrofsky, forest pathologist with the Maine Forest Service. "It's a recycling effort by the tree, to recapture the chemicals in the leaves before they are shed."

Before dropping to the ground in preparation for winter, those drying, dying leaves put on a spectacular show that draws millions of leaf-peeping tourists to the state.

Steve Lyons, marketing director for the Maine Office of Tourism, said while the exact number of leaf-peepers who come to Maine isn't known, about 25 percent of the 30 to 35 million tourists who come to Maine each year come in the fall.

That's about 8 million people each fall. They spend an estimated $1.3 billion on lodging, transportation, retail goods, recreation and other items while they're here.

The amount, and coloration, of the fall foliage is looking normal so far this year, according to Gale Ross, foliage spokesperson for the Maine Department of Conservation.

That's despite a dry spell in August that stressed some trees, causing their leaves to turn color and fall to the ground in midsummer.

However, a few trees dropping their leaves early does not mean the fall foliage came and went early this year.

"A lack of rain for some of this summer did distress some trees somewhat," Ross said. "But what some people may have thought was earlier foliage was really just trees that were distressed."

Ostrofsky said, statewide, trees dropping their leaves early was "a fairly minor thing."

"Overall, I think this year the timing is pretty much right on time," he said. "As long as we start with a season where we have lush, green foliage, we'll always have some color, as long as the leaves aren't damaged by diseases or eaten by insects. A good, average moisture year is usually when you see the best colorations."

The state, Ross said, has been reporting foliage conditions for 52 years.

The state collects and shares information on the fall foliage because people want to see the spectacular palette of colors splashed across the forest -- especially those people who live in other states or countries where the leaves do not change color.

"It's our second busiest season," Lyons said of fall tourist season. "We get a lot of travelers. They tend to be a little older. They tend to want to toodle around a little more. It's more of a touring audience.

"If you look at the fall numbers, they tend to travel to the coastal regions of the state first. But it's also a time when they kind of filter out to the rest of the state, as they're driving around, they'll hit up towns in all areas. We're anticipating a good fall, coming off a real strong summer. The good summer showed evidence people are starting to spend a little money on travel again. We expect people will continue to travel in the fall."

The state foliage forecast is available online at www.mainefoliage.com. Maine's colorful leaves also have their own Facebook page, viewable by searching for "Maine fall foliage."

The foliage forecast is assembled from the observations of forest rangers across the state, Ross said. They go out in each of seven regions the state is divided into and, mostly by eye, determine what percentage of the forest is changing color.

"Peak" color is when 75 percent to 100 percent of the leaves have changed color.

The foliage forecast also notes approximately how many leaves have already dropped off the trees.

The timing of leaves changing color and dropping is fairly predictable, Ostrofsky said. That's because when they do so is generally tied to the amount of daylight each day, which is fairly consistent year to year.

Towards the end of summer, the days start getting shorter.

As the day length shortens, trees begin preparing for winter by producing less and less chlorophyl.

Generally in September and October, the green fades away and the autumn colors are revealed.

"I usually predict peak coloration in the central part of the state is around the last week of September, first week of October," Ostrofsky said. "It looks like we'll be hitting that this year. Things are looking pretty good."

The leaves of different types of trees not only change different colors, they also have peak foliage at different times.

"Sugar maple may come and go but then it'll be another week altogether before the aspen turn," Ostrofsky said. "So people shouldn't be disappointed if they think they've missed peak. Because something is always going on."

Leaves generally start to turn color and drop first in the north, then the foliage switch moves south, due to colder temperatures in the north.

Region 3 of the foliage map, which includes the Augusta and Waterville areas and extends from Fryeburg in the south to Bangor in the north, historically peaks in early mid-October.

Foliage peaked the week of Oct. 15 last year in the region.

BY KEITH EDWARDS Staff Writer, Kennebec Journal


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