It's that time of year. The Mount Washington Valley will soon become painted in brilliant colors of red, orange, and yellow. The majesty of this colored-palette will become evident before your eyes within four weeks. It is during this time where the region will display its fashionable beauty that has amazed generations of visitors and residents. Once again this year, the forests of the White Mountains have battled against an unrelenting drought that has plagued the region. Due to this, the forests are in a battle to stay alive, which could somewhat dampen the brilliant color of autumn.
The winter of 2002 failed to produce a deep snow pack, which is helpful for future vegetation and drinking water. Unfortunately, the summer months were no different as North Conway witnessed severe dryness and extreme heat. The continued warmth and partly cloudy skies quickly dried the region to a crisp during August. Due to these prolonged conditions, the brilliance of autumn color has now become at risk of producing duller then average foliage. Therefore, our region could face a copycat autumn like that of last year.
One may hike in the higher terrain of the Mount Washington Valley and witness that the foliage color of autumn has already begun. Likewise in lower elevations, scattered trees have also begun to change for nearly two weeks. Though it is early in the season, what trees have changed are somewhat dull. It is important to realize that the dull color is not a punishing act from the forests, but is the only mechanism that trees have to sustain life during periods of dryness.
The dry conditions have acted as a stress factor on trees, which is believed to be more grueling then human abuse and insects. Due to prolonged periods of dryness, trees develop a 'cork' that produces a barrier between the leaf and the twig. Once this barrier is developed, the leaf is cut off from any water and eventually dies. A tree needs to receive upwards of one hundred gallons of water per day. When such a need fails to occur, the trees sacrifice their leaves so they can use water more efficiently. This helps the trees to survive long and enduring winter months.
The lengthier the time that a drought occurs, the weaker the trees become. Therefore, the leaves drop early and become duller in color during autumn foliage. Trees such as maple and birch are most prone during dry conditions. Despite the forecast of dull foliage color for the forthcoming autumn season, the forests may surprise our area with a phenomenal season of brilliant color. To insure such an event occurs, a great amount of rainfall and cool nights are needed. Whether the color will be somewhat dull or brilliant, the region will undoubtedly become beautiful during the forthcoming autumn season.