Dr. Howard S. Neufeld Courtesy of Appalachian State University
Join App State’s Dr. Howard S. Neufeld for a vibrant exploration of two key questions: why do tree leaves turn color in the fall? Is it an evolutionary adaptation or just what leaves do when they die? Each autumn deciduous trees put on a colorful display as they prepare to go dormant for the winter.
Depending on the species, their summer green leaves may turn orange, red, yellow, or even brown, before falling off. This phenomenon, which occurs worldwide, is primarily limited to temperate forests, and attracts thousands of people to the mountains for fall leaf “peeping,” as it is known colloquially.
Fall is the busiest tourist season in the mountains of North Carolina, and estimates are that it contributes $600-800 million to the local economy. In this talk, Neufeld will share the natural history of fall leaf colors, explain the chemistry behind the different colors, and discuss the controversy about why leaves change colors each autumn. He will conclude with thoughts on how climate change may alter future leaf color displays.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Howard S. Neufeld Courtesy of Appalacian State University
Neufeld is a Professor of Biology at App State and is known as the “Fall Color Guy” on Facebook. He received his B.S. in Forestry from Rutgers University, his M.F. in Forest Sciences from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Science in 1977, and his Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Georgia.
He was a post-doctoral researcher at New Mexico State University and a National Research Council associate at the EPA Lab in Corvallis, Oregon. He has served as president of The Association of Southeastern Biologists and the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society.
He was the first chair of AppalAIR, the interdisciplinary atmospheric research group at App State, and the first director of the Southern Appalachian Environmental Research and Education Center. Neufeld’s research expertise is in the area of plant physiological ecology, and has included work in deserts, swamps and forests. His teaching duties include Introductory Biology, Plant Physiology, Air Pollution, and Biostatistics, as well as an Honors course on the Future of Human Civilization.
App State presents The Natural History and Science of Fall Leaf Colors A lecture by Dr. Howard S. Neufeld.