Tree woes valid but most will be fine by springtime

SIKESTON -- Brown, crunchy leaves attached to dead-looking trees have become the norm among the tree population in the area this year, but local forestry officials say not to worry -- most trees will be just fine.

"This has happened before, and it's cyclical," said Allison Vaughn, natural resource steward for Big Oak Tree State Park in East Prairie. "... This is part of Missouri's weather, and I think the state will be able to come back from it -- although it's sad."

Vaughn said like most trees in the area, many in the state park have had early leaf drop, which means the leaves are starting to fall earlier than usual. The trees are stressed, but not dying off, she said.

"As a natural resource manager, you accept these changes," Vaughn said.

What will be interesting is to see how the wildlife such as squirrels, deer and others adapt to the changes in the trees, Vaughn said.

"We have really small acorns jumping off the oak trees and that screams stress and drought," Vaughn said. "What makes this year a little harder is the cold snap that stressed out the trees in beginning of season."

In addition Southeast Missouri has seen little rainfall over the summer.

"When we're talking about a summer with the lowest precipitation combined with the highest heat, it's a deadly combination," said Rocky Hayes, urban forester for the Southeast District of the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Over the weekend, these counties received the following rainfall for the first time in at least a month: Scott County, 1.63 inches; Mississippi County, .49 inch; and New Madrid County, .30 inch, according to Missouri Agricultural Statistics Service.

The weekend's rain helped some, but the region still needs more, Hayes said. And both Hayes and Vaughn said brown leaves on a tree doesn't mean the tree is dead.

"In an effort to conserve moisture, the leaves on trees will turn brown," Hayes said. "It's the tree's self defense mechanism to try and conserve water."

To determine if a tree is still alive, Hayes said to take the twigs at the end of branches and bend them. A good sign is if they're pliable and green is found underneath the branch after scraping it with a finger.

"That's the chlorophyll. If it's still green, then it's still alive," Hayes said. "But if you bend it, and it breaks off, then it's dead."

A tree's death doesn't happen instantaneously; it happens several months after an event, which is why Hayes cautioned not to remove a tree yet. Wait until next spring to see if it bounces back.

In the future, Hayes said to take a proactive approach by monitoring the weather and maintaining a tree's health so it doesn't get into a severe state of stress.

"Don't rely on Mother Nature and help the tree out in periods of extreme dry weather," Hayes said.

Trees should receive an inch or two of water every week or 10 days, Hayes said. If using a sprinkler system, put out a saucer or can to measure the water. Also move the sprinkler around to have better coverage.

"Yes, watering a tree costs, but look at them as investments. They can cool a home with their shade in the summer," Hayes said.

As for fall foliage, both Vaughn and Hayes said not to expect a spectacular color -- here or anywhere else in the state.

"But I've been wrong before," Hayes said. "Sometimes trees surprise us, and actually sometimes stressed trees show more color than healthy trees because trees that are stressed aren't producing chlorophyll."

But when it comes to seeing beautiful fall color, Vaughn may have the best advice: "If you want to see spectacular color, go to Connecticut."