Experts say drought should not affect New England foliage

The Associated Press

DOVER, N.H. -- Experts say drought conditions in New England should not dull the fall foliage season.

Bob Edmonds, head of the forestry and wildlife programs at the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, said a more important factor will be daily weather conditions. A sunny day is the key, he said.

"Over the past many decades we've actually seen that the short-term weather conditions throughout the year don't adversely affect the fall foliage colors," Edmonds said. "What really makes the difference is on the day of the viewing."

Drought conditions have only an isolated affect, he said. Some trees that are stressed may show browning around the edges of their leaves or they may drop leaves a little earlier, he said.

"It can have a dramatic effect on an individual tree, but collectively on a landscape for fall foliage it wouldn't be significant," Edmonds said.

Don Black of the cooperative extension's Strafford County office in New Hampshire said he has been asked for 30 years about how the weather affects foliage, and he says trees are resilient and brilliant.

The foliage season in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont brings in millions of tourism dollars. In New Hampshire, the fall foliage season accounts for more than a quarter of the year's tourism spending, according to Margaret Joyce of the Division of Travel and Tourism Development.