Ever notice some trees despite how cold winter may get never seem to lose their leaves?

It is something that you wouldn't exactly call common, but it does happen to some trees in New York. Typically, the trees you'll see holding on to their leaves despite the foliage being dead are juvenile trees or young trees. For one reason or another, one of the most prevalent trees in the Adirondacks also just can't seem to shake its leave in winter either, young or not.

While the tree won't exactly keep all of its leaves, rather just a small portion, it is odd to see any leaves on a tree come in late January. It is happening among Beech trees, which in the Adirondacks are everywhere.

Marcescence

NYS DEC
NYS DEC
loading...

What does Marcesence mean?

Marcescent - Withering without falling off. - Merriam Webster

While that may be what the process is called, what is the real reason this happens in some trees? This is actually where it gets tricky, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation actually can only speculate. The DEC itself isn't totally sure what causes this to happen.

Young handsome man over isolated background confuse and wonder about question. Uncertain with doubt, thinking with hand on head. Pensive concept.
AaronAmat
loading...

Let's Speculate For A Moment

  • Hiding buds could help protect them from deer browse.

While deer browse seems harmless, it can be harmful to a youthful tree. The term literally means leaves or twigs from a tree be gathered for food by a deer. It can be harmful when a deer will gather and its antlers mark up the base of the tree, removing bark in many instances. The tree doesn't drop leaves, no harm will be done.

  • Leaf drop in the spring helps keep the tree’s soil moist and provides extra nutrients for growth.

This certainly could make sense, if it waits to drop its leaves in spring, which is inevitable should leave stay on, the ground will flourish with fresh nutrients. At the end of the day, the reason isn't exactly something we can be sure about. Northern Woodlands speculated the above but also dives into a few more reasons here. But, if you see trees with leaves in winter, now you know why.

Mother Nature Buries Northern Oneida County in First Big Snowstorm of Season

The first massive snowstorm of the season was a doozy, at least for some. The Utica area only saw a few inches of lake effect snow but Northern Oneida County had more, a lot more.

RANKED: Here are the most popular national parks

To determine the most popular national parks in the United States, Stacker compiled data from the National Park Service on the number of recreational visits each site had in 2020. Keep reading to discover the 50 most popular national parks in the United States, in reverse order from #50 to #1. And be sure to check with individuals parks before you visit to find out about ongoing, pandemic-related safety precautions at www.nps.gov/coronavirus.

See How The Wild Center Brings You Back In Touch With Nature

Darn That Autocorrect! 10 Message Mistakes That'll Crack You Up

Auto correct can come in handy. It can also create an entirely different conservation than what you meant. Here's the best auto-correct mistakes.

11 Pictures Showing What Its Like To Be Stuck Behind A Slow Driver

It happens every day to some unlucky New Yorkers, all.. the.. time. It doesn't have to be on a highway, in fact, many times it isn't. Regardless, this is what it feels like, and you know you can relate.

READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

The 100 Best Places to Live on the East Coast

 

LOOK: Famous Historic Homes in Every State

 

LOOK: Here are the best small towns to live in across America

More From 96.9 WOUR