So Why Exactly Do Trees Loose Their Leaves In The Fall?

Posted on October 26, 2009 with 1 Comment

Every fall you your family goes through the same routine, and let’s just say it’s not one that many enjoy.  Of course this routine is one of the least popular chores; raking leaves have given blisters from the 7 year old boy to the 65 year old grandfather.  While we all love the colors of the Northeast during autumn months, we for sure do not enjoy the work that is endured picking them up.  Yet, the question that is often overlooked is; why do the leaves actually fall off the trees?

The leaves of the tree are there for nutritional purposes as well as to collect some water.  When the cool are of late autumn and early winter arrive the leaves are open to the dry weather of these months.  With dry air the leaves cannot contain the moisture inside of them since they are flat, thin and susceptible to harsh outdoor weather.  In order for the tree to make it through the winter it must have its water and nutrition supply stored in other places.  To keep away from the cool dry air the tree moves its water and nutritional supplies towards the trunk leaving the leaves without any of the two.  This allows the tree to live through another winter and ready to blossom the next spring.  A downside of the tree’s adapted defensive mechanism is how brittle some of the outward branches become.  Since the water is brought closer to the trunk, the branches become more brittle. Any type of snow or ice accumulation can send these strong healthy branches of the summer crashing down to the lonely life-less ground below.

There you have it, the reasons why trees loose their leaves in the fall.