Hot Line Blazes Trail to Fall Colors

The Agriculture Department has a hot line for foliage watchers.

Stanley Krugman, director of timber management research for the department’s Forest Service, said the hot line carries a recorded message featuring areas of “especially beautiful fall color” as they occur in national forests throughout the United States.

The hot line began operation on Sept. 15 and will continue through the fall season, he said. The number is (202) 475-3780.

Krugman said some pockets of fall color are occurring earlier than usual this year, which could be due to unusual temperatures, moisture or drought.

“Where I live, in northern Virginia, the wet spring and early summer followed by almost drought-like conditions in August, have triggered some early fall color, especially at the higher elevations,” he said.

But most color changes are caused by the longer nights and shorter days.

“Most people think frost plays a major role in the beautiful colors,” Krugman said. “Cooler weather can be a factor, but color changes are primarily brought on by the increasing hours of darkness that accompany the fall season.”

Many of the vivid colors are in the leaves year-round but are hidden by dominant green color during the summer months. As autumn approaches, the chlorophylls--which produce the green as sunlight is used to produce plant food--decrease and the other pigments are apparent.

New England is famed for its foliage splendor, but Krugman said there are opportunities for viewing magnificent colors in most of the states. Michigan alone offers 65 species of trees that produce color.