Fall colours arriving early in Winnipeg's trees this year; Here's why
The colours of fall have arrived early in Winnipeg, and the summer's drought may be to blame.
Martha Barwinsky, a forester with the City of Winnipeg, said trees have been suffering this year amid the dry conditions.
Going into the spring, there was very little soil moisture, she said. The extreme heat throughout the summer and the low soil moisture heading into the fall has had an impact on the city's tree canopy Barwinsky said.
"I'm sure other people have seen it too, where the trees in the middle of the season, the leaves have all of a sudden turned brown and the trees are dead," she said.
The city tested for pathogens, but didn't find any. Barwinsky said it could be a sign of 'leaf scorch' brought on by water deficiency.
The colours of fall have arrived early in Manitoba, and the summer's drought may be to blame. A tree is pictured in Winnipeg on Sept. 14, 2021. (Source: Glenn Pismenny/ CTV News Winnipeg)
The forester said some species – such as Birch, Alder and Lindens – are more susceptible to drought and heat. However, even some oak trees have been started to turn brown early.
"We believe that it's just the past few years of drought are really taking their toll on some of the oak trees as well," she said.
Though the turning leaves may make for a beautiful walk outside, Barwinsky said it might not last long.
"If the dry conditions continue, we could see an earlier leaf drop as the trees are just going into survival mode and going into the dormancy."
She said this is a critical time for the tree canopy, because though the leaves will be turning and falling, the roots are still growing.
"Now is a really important time for people to water the trees, water at the edges of the branches, at the drip line and beyond, to make sure that there's enough soil moisture for the roots to take up to carry them into the winter and be able to leaf out in the spring," she said.
Homeowners with trees should keep on watering into the fall, up until mid-October, Barwinsky said.
"You don't want to overwater because the trees actually are starting to shut down, but definitely, the roots need that soil moisture at this time of year."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.