“The flood put us in a bit of a loop,” Wingate said. The store escaped serious damage. “But we are preparing for the autumn leaves season.”
This year’s extreme weather has had a major impact on destinations that traditionally lay red, orange and yellow carpets for autumn tourists. Across North America, wildfires and violent storms have destroyed the trees that form the heart of festivals and thrown towns into chaos.
Less obvious weather systems, such as heatwaves and heavy rains, can affect fall colors, peak viewing times, and season lengths. For visitors expecting a dazzling show, finding bare trees and brown leaves can be as disappointing as throwing a towel on a sargassum-choked beach.
“Many destinations rely on these natural resources to attract tourists,” said Whitney Norenburg, an associate professor of parks, recreation and tourism management at North Carolina State University. “People definitely travel for it, and when it’s good it’s great, and when it’s bad it’s really bad.”
Heat can dull colors and shorten the season
Autumn leaves are essentially a wardrobe change. As the days get shorter and temperatures begin to drop, trees shed their summer greenery (chlorophyll) for an autumn palette (carotenoids and anthocyanins). The trees prefer crisp sunny days and crisp cool nights for several weeks before changing.
Jim Sarge, a former meteorologist at the Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire, has been predicting New England’s autumn foliage season for Yankee magazine since 2011.in his reportreleased last week, he mentioned some concerns.
For one, heavy summer rains may have flooded tree roots, impeding respiration, the process that converts sugar into energy. Under this pressure, leaves can change faster than normal.
On the other hand, prolonged warm temperatures can fade the color, turning the fiery red of maple into the color of pale tomato soup. Fungal infestation can also cause color fading.
“If it’s a leaf fungus like anthracnose, you’ll get more early leaf yields and less browning,” Sarge said. “We’re already calling for a pastel year, but this will only make things quieter. Still beautiful, but less bold.”
Abundant rains can lead trees to fall foliage early, while a prolonged summer can delay the flowering of deciduous trees such as elms, oaks and maples.
“Higher daytime and nighttime autumn temperatures tend to delay the season, which can dull colors,” said Robert Burdon, a forestry professor at North Carolina State University of Natural Resources. “But the biggest impact is probably a shortened season.”
Spring and summer are equally important, with trees absorbing nutrients and sunlight that are not as abundant during the winter months. During the active growing season, the tree prefers moderate temperatures and rainfall.
Extreme weather, such as rainfall or extreme heat, can result in a lackluster autumn, said Jinjing Liang, an associate professor of quantitative forest ecology at Purdue University in Indiana.
“The general trend is that peak foliage color has gradually decreased over the years,” says Liang, who used artificial intelligence to study how climate change will affect foliage across the eastern United States. said Mr. “Some states, like New Hampshire and Maryland, are doing a little better, but many others have gotten worse over the last decade.”
Unexpected weather events can also stress trees. Ash and smoke from Canada’s wildfires drifted up the East Coast this summer, dusting trees from the northern border to Georgia. Howard Neufeld, a professor of biology at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, said the particles coat leaves, reducing light blockage and potentially interfering with photosynthesis.
The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation is using planes to monitor the state’s forests for damage. Josh Hallman, the department’s forest health program manager, said it determined smoke from the Quebec bushfires was not affecting the trees during these missions. “From what we’ve seen on the plane, the forest looks standard,” he said.
Autumn leaf viewing is always a gamble
Towards its demise, its owner Luffing Heart Lodge Began answering calls about Peak Color in Hot Springs, North Carolina. Only three of her 10 rooms face the Appalachian Mountains, and premium rooms she can book up to a year in advance, but given Mother Nature’s fickle temperament, this is a risky move. is.
“I get that question probably 10 times a day. ‘Hey, when are the leaves the prettiest?'” said Gabe Osier, who owns the property with his wife, Maria. “We’re trying to make a suggestion to you, but we don’t know.”
In a fall-coloured region, visitors have to shoulder high expectations and potentially high disappointments if they plan their entire vacation around the foliage. Knollenberg said many destinations are learning to diversify their offerings as an insurance policy against dreams. In addition to promoting autumn foliage, regions promote tourist attractions with longer and more stable preservation periods, such as heritage sites and cultural transformations.
“These are things that are likely to exist and are likely to be consistent,” Knollenberg said. “This really helps enrich people’s experience.”
for example, Red Lion Innoften links to Berkshire’s Fall Foliage Camera on its website, hosts live music in its downstairs club, and recently announced an art exhibition with a nearby museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Norman Rockwell Museum.
Sarah Eustis, president of Main Street Hospitality, which owns and operates the 250-year-old Red Lion Inn, said, “You can really get creative and put all your eggs in one basket. Instead, we need to provide another reason for people to come.” .
in Hudson Valley in New Yorkthe family that founded Fishkill Farms For more than a century, we have continued to perform delicate dances with nature. Owner Josh Morgenthau expects ugly apples this year after unseasonable weather last winter. It was because the trees were confused by the combination of the rising temperature and the cold wave. “I hope the customers who come to pick their own apples are a little more tolerant,” he says.
Morgenthau also fears that if summer temperatures continue into September, tourists may stop coming to the Hudson Valley for fall activities. Still, he sticks to his ancestral calendar. Harvest festivals are held on the farm from mid-September to mid-October, and are spread out so widely that one weekend certainly coincides with peak foliage.
Blue Ridge Hiking Company According to owner Lindsay Burr, the Asheville, North Carolina, store is licensed to operate on a 2,000-mile trail that gives access to fiery red sourwood, shimmering golden poplar and mustard-yellow hickory. It increases your chances of finding trophies. As you hike, your guides make reconnaissance and share their findings with each other.
“You can watch how the colors progress,” said Barr’s company, which has guided hikers through 15 fall foliage seasons. “Our guides will check in and say, ‘Hey, cloves are at their peak right now.'” So you can turn around quickly. ”
July floods devastated summer tourism in Vermont. Autumn may be the season of renewal.
Damage from river flooding and landslides was patchy across the state. Some towns, including Barr and the capital Montpelier, were heavily damaged. Others, such as Killington and Burlington, quickly braced themselves.
Located at the foot of Mount Okemo, Ludlow has made great strides. There are few traces of the Black River flooding. The public security inspection certificate is hung on the door of the enterprise. Yellow caution tape is wrapped around the mill’s parking lot. The mill is a former woolen mill and houses a café, watershed and short-term rental facilities. At the foot of the ski area is a sign that says “We Are Vermont Strong”.
“We’re almost done cleaning,” said Heather Pelham, director of Vermont Tourism Marketing. “The roads have reopened. Not everything is perfect…and more and more people are reopening every day.”
Vermont has the highest concentration of maple trees in the country, 78 percent of the state According to the Vermont Department of Commerce and Regional Development, the state is covered in forests, one of the many reasons it attracts more than two million visitors each fall. Fortunately, its precious resource survived the Great Flood.
“The trees have been uprooted and are no longer standing, but most of them were in the river valleys. “Vermont is lucky to have mountains. there is no.”
Last weekend in Okemo, chairlifts carried visitors to the top of the soon-to-be-coloured green mountain.in main + mountain In town, happy hour patrons sipped cocktails around the fire pit with their backs to the city. home style restaurantsister stores are still closed after the flood.
“All the food is across the street, and this is where I drink and sleep,” said Justin Hyjek, who owns and runs the bar, restaurant and boutique motel with his wife. “Now we have a chef here. It worked well during the floods.”
Crowds gathered on Vermont Route 103. off the rail For a pig roast fundraiser. A rock band was playing against the backdrop of a landslide that had dislodged railroad tracks and nearly flattened the visitor center. The loose earth was hardened with rocks, creating a safe path for travelers seeking autumn foliage.