Fall Foliage Forecast from Western Carolina with Dr. Beverly Collins

Segment 3, October 14th, 2023 Introducing people to the outdoors each week expands during the fall with an explosion of color that starts in the Carolina high country and works its way down.  Dr. Beverly Collins, the Fall Foliage Forecaster, from Western Carolina University joins the Carolina Outdoors to let us about the when, where, & what the peak of the leaf change. Dr. Collins reports: -2023 is starting “fantastic” -The “historically normal” cooler weather that we had during the Columbus Day weekend helped kick off this season with spectacular colors.  Temperatures lowering into the 30’s helped make the colors pop -Maples, Elms, Oaks, & more are deciduous trees effected by the shorter days & cooler weather -Green Chlorophyl reflects the green light that we see.  However, in fall we get to see the other pigments reflecting yellow, orange, & red with the decline of chlorophyl -Oaks lag a touch later than others but helps to lengthen the season’s beauty -Botanists & Biologists continue to study our forests & although there are challenges with acid rain, insects, & fungi our canopy in western Carolina is a growing forest -Personally she likes viewing the leaf change anywhere but the Blue Ridge Parkway is particularly a great place to view We hope that the listeners are able to enjoy nature’s display of leaf change this season.