(KNSI) – Much like a carnival that rolls into town and back out in the blink of an eye featuring a blur of bright colors, the trees in Minnesota are almost finished.
Saint Cloud is one of the last areas to change, and even here progress is nearing 75% of the peak. Strong mid-week winds have already pulled down much of the recently turned leaves. All of northern Minnesota is at, or past peak.
The line signifying the change’s progress has flattened out and pushed down to around St. Stephen and Rice. The weekly report from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says to expect autumn winds to whisk away falling leaves.
The DNR says there are several benefits for a tree to go bare. Its latest missive notes, “Shedding leaves is an important tree survival mechanism that has evolved over time. Losing leaves means a tree spends less energy through the cold winter. A tree can also conserve moisture within the trunk to keep it from drying out. Finally, without leaves, wind will blow through the branches, putting less strain on the tree during winter storms.”
The full map can be found here.
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