Why Do Some Trees Keep Their Leaves Through Winter?

Above: Oak trees at Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve hold onto their leaves through winter. Photo by Erin Korsmo. At the end of fall, most deciduous trees lose their leaves for the winter season. In fact, the word deciduous comes from the Latin word decidere, which means to fall down or off. There are, however, a handful of deciduous trees around these parts that have a tendency to keep their leaves past fall. It is an interesting phenomenon that is not fully understood. But before we get to that, let’s go through a few of the basics.

Why do trees lose their leaves in the fall? - Gulo in Nature

How Trees Survive Cold Winters - Project Learning Tree

Winter Leaf Marcescence Home & Garden Information Center

The Toronto Tree Thread, Page 25

Ask a Forester: Why do some trees retain their leaves throughout winter? - Kretz Lumber

Some trees retain leaves all winter long

Why Do Some Trees Keep Their Leaves Through Winter?

The Toronto Tree Thread, Page 25

Why Do Some Leaves Persist On Beech and Oak…, Winter 2010, Articles

Marcescence: Why Some Trees Keep Their Leaves in Winter

How do trees survive the winter? - National Forest Foundation

Do Evergreen Trees Lose Their Needles?

Marcescence: Why Some Trees Keep Their Leaves in Winter

A PLUS TREE, LLC on LinkedIn: Why Do Some Trees Keep Their Leaves