WHY DO WE LOVE FALL FOLIAGE SO MUCH?

Many people love taking a drive on a crisp fall day to see the leaves turning color. It’s called “leaf peeping,” wrote David George Haskell of the University of the South in Tennessee for NPR. In Japan, it’s called momijigari — an “excursion for hunting autumn leaves.” In South Korea, it’s called dan pung ku gyeong, “a purposeful look at the changing colors of leaves.” And folks in China call it shangye. “Instead of leaf peeping, perhaps we Americans should speak of Autumnal awe or leaf wonder,” Haskell writes. “Awe and wonder lead us to meaning.”

But like so many other things around the country, our beautiful fall colors may be at risk of damage or destruction by the increasing threat of climate change. This summer’s heat wave and drought in the Pacific Northwest prematurely browned leaves in Oregon, a situation forest experts are calling “foliage scorch.” Warmer than normal days can cause trees to delay displaying their fall colors. A sudden onset of cold weather may cause a tree to drop its leaves quickly, not giving tourists a nice weekend or two to enjoy the view.

This could create a significant economic impact on certain areas of the country. Three million to 4 million people flock to Connecticut to see the leaves there each fall — that’s nearly 40% of the state’s tourism industry. New Hampshire and Maine collectively bring in about 16 million leaf peepers each year. North Carolina takes in an estimated $1 billion every year from travelers. Despite the threat, experts in some areas are hopeful. Jim Salge of Yankee Magazine said he expected “an exceptional year” in the Midwest and across much of the U.S.

DAN PELLE/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW