HOME & GARDEN
With timberland covering approximately fifty-eight percent of North Carolina’s total land area, it’s not going out on a limb to say trees are our most abundant natural resource. According to NC State Extension, the forest sector contributes around $21.6 billion to our annual economy through logging, sawmills, furniture production and pulp and paper industries (Parajuli and Bardon, 2021). However this figure doesn’t take into consideration the role fall foliage plays in strengthening our tourism economy, a dollar figure that’s difficult to quantify, but no doubt significant. A wide range of species diversity among trees produces a myriad of shapes and colors, and three distinct geographic regions provide N.C. residents and visitors with a chance to extend “peak week” as one travels from the mountains to the coast. Here in the Yadkin Valley, the best opportunities to enjoy fall color usually occur from mid-to-late-October, but the timing and the color intensity can change from year to year depending on weather conditions. As we enter the fall season, readers may be surprised to know the colors typically associated with fall have been stored inside leaves since their spring-time emergence. Leaf colors are produced by plant pigments such as carotenoids, which produce shades of orange, xanthophylls that give us yellows and anthocyanins that yield striking purples and reds. All of these play a role in photosynthesis, the process by which leaves convert sunlight into sugar, but no pigment does this quite as well as chlorophyll, which produces the green leaves we associate with the long days of summer. As the most efficient pigment involved in photosynthesis, chlorophyll is also the most abundant, masking underlying pigments until with the approach of autumn stimulates its breakdown. As other pigments are revealed, a collection of cells known as the abscission layer develops at the base of each leaf, trapping sugars within to brighten colors. A string of sunny days and cool nights can further intensify colors to produce the leafy showstoppers that bring out Sunday drivers in droves. As fall progresses, the abscission layer brings about the detachment of leaves, producing a temporary carpet of colors that blanket the forest floor. As the colors fade into warm shades of brown, a rich humus layer develops to help hold soil in place, insulate the roots below from the harsh cold of winter, and provide nutrients for spring growth. The entire color change process is fleeting, with peaks only lasting a week or two. With this in mind, it pays to plan out potential viewing locations in advance. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of parks and miles of rural landscape to provide ample viewing pleasure as the Yadkin River meanders through the Mountain and Piedmont regions. Whether it’s a stunning vista from a Blue Ridge Parkway overlook, or one of the many riverside trails offered at locations such as Forsyth County’s Tanglewood Park, make the 64
Organizing your collected leaves for a wreath
Making THE Most of a Yadkin Valley Autumn WRITER/ Phyllis Baker Smith
/ yadk invalleym agazine.com
N.C. Cooperative Extension, Forsyth County Center, Natural Resources Agent
Using a home printer to make color copies of your leaves
Cut our your paper leaves for attachment to a grapevine wreath, available at most craft stores.
