Scotland beats New England in the Fall...
SCOTLAND may be transformed into a tree-lovers’ paradise this autumn as experts predict the season will be a riot of colour.
Perfect conditions are combining to produce deeper reds, browns and yellows on mill i ons of trees across the country.
This summer has been notable as the sunniest this century and rainfall has been 25 per cent lower than normal.
This has allowed an enhanced chemical reaction to take place, which is expected to result in richer colours.
Simon Toomer, director of the National Arboretum run by the Forestry Commission, said he is l ooking f orward to what he describes as ‘the last flame of autumn’.
He added: ‘I believe conditions are right for a perfect autumn. We have had a good deal of sunshine and just enough rain.
‘The pigment chlorophyll is green and is usually the dominant pigment. But as the chlorophyll breaks down because of weather conditions, the lesser pigments which are normally masked by the green pigment are allowed to come to the fore. This produces deep oranges and yellows.’
To help the public appreciate these changes, the Forestry Commission will be producing ‘leafpeeper’ guides.
The UK has some way to go to catch up on the ‘leaf-peeping’ phenomenon, which is hugely popular in the American states of New England such as Vermont and New Hampshire – and also in Japan.
A billion-dollar tourism industry has grown up around areas which produce the most dramatic colours.
Mr Toomer said he has detected greater interest in this country, with more people wanting to connect with natural changes at different times of the year. He added: ‘A good autumn offers us the chance to get into the woods before the cold of winter. They call it leaf-peeping in America, but it’s known as momijigari in Japan, the ancient ritual of going into the woods to see the reds of autumn.’
Donald Rodger travels all over Scotland, giving advice on trees as an independent arboricultural consultant.
He said: ‘We are already well into September and the trees are showing little sign of colouring up at all. We had a late spring, with the growing season shunted back by many weeks.
‘If we have a period of calm weather in the next few weeks, we could be in for a particularly-colourful year.
‘The Norway Maple is very colourful, as are some oaks like the Red Oak.
‘I think you will see people getting into their cars and admiring the sights, particularly in Perthshire, where there are big plantations of colourful trees. Whole hillsides could look fantastic.’
The great colour scheme could be wrecked by early autumn gales, but the Met Office said that, despite a windy weekend, the next 15 days at least will be settled.