Drought effects from a forester's perspective

It's surprisingly hard to find specific, local information from experts about the drought effects I'm observing, but finally today I heard a radio interview with a man from the state forestry commission. He talked especially about two things I noticed a lot when I was at the farm last week: early leaf drop and nut shedding. Out in the woods and in my parents' yard, it's like fall: on some trees, about half the leaves have turned brown and fallen, and the ground is crunchy with them. It sounds like November when you go out walking. Apparently -- this makes a lot of sense -- a tree can conserve moisture and energy by withdrawing its chlorophyll and letting the leaves go. Another thing, the pecans and chestnuts and hickory nuts are falling and getting eaten by the squirrels and other animals now, instead of later. The squirrels need the food, but they won't have much to store and eat this winter.

The forester also said that many plants, especially trees in low-lying areas, will survive, which I figured. But we've had such a severe year all around. First, severe snowstorms, then an unusually bad tornado season followed by serious rainfall and floods, all of which stressed the trees before the drought and heat really even got going. (Or, really, picked up where it left off last summer.) That, he said, could cause a "death spiral" that might play out "over five years." Ugh.

Death spiral, do not want!


Fallen oak leaves in the woods, August 15

In more encouraging news, storms in the past couple of days have actually been enough to alleviate some of the wildfire danger in parts of the state, for the time being. Here's hoping it continues!