by Connie Oswald Stofko
Gardeners worried about how the smoke from the recent Canadian wildfires would affect vegetable plants in Western New York, but “The good news is the impact will be minimal at worst,” according to Steve Reiners, professor in Horticulture at Cornell University, Cornell AgriTech.
Smoke-filled skies decrease sunlight and reduce photosynthesis, but only to a small degree and temporarily, Reiners said. Despite the shade, there was still enough diffused light penetrating the smoke to maintain growth. Smoke typically doesn’t block the pores (stomata) in the leaf where photosynthesis happens.
The most important thing you could do in a smokey situation is to maintain good soil moisture by optimizing irrigation. This will keep the pores open and clean, he said. The droughty conditions this spring are likely to cause more of a problem than the smoke.
Leafy greens won’t pick up a smoky flavor. Recent research done in California after wildfires there showed leafy greens had no issues with flavor or possible volatile chemicals on or within the leaves.
The smoke we had didn’t contain dangerous chemicals. It was nearly 100 percent from the burning forests — not plastics, buildings or chemicals as seen in recent train derailments, he said.
The rain that falls through this smoky layer is also not dangerous to plants, people or animals. Unlike acid rain that forms from the burning of high sulfur fuels, the rain will be near neutral pH or just slightly acid.
Pollinators will likely stay close to their hives when it’s smoky, but it’s a little early in the season for pollination of squash and other fruiting crops, so this should not be a problem. Even if your crop had flowers, bees become active again as soon as the smoke clears.
“Mask up when you’re outside tending to your plants as the smoke is a danger to you and me,” Reiners said, “but the vegetables should be fine. Keep them well-watered and you should be enjoying a normal harvest later this summer.”
Cornell Cooperative Extension programs in Erie and Chautauqua sent me this helpful information from Reiners.
Dealing with climate change in Western New York
While it is still difficult to attribute these fires to climate change, there is a clear connection between climate change and the number and severity of wildfires worldwide.
Here are some ideas on how you can understand climate change and take steps to mitigate it.
Ebook on climate change for gardeners
What do you see when you look at your garden? A flower here, a tree there, a butterfly over yonder? Your garden is more complex than that.
It’s really a system of relationships among the soil, plants, insects, birds and other creatures, according to Gardening in a Warming World: A Climate Smart Gardening Course Book.
This great ebook from Cornell Cooperative Extension encourages us not to look at our gardens as a group of isolated parts. Instead, it shows us how to recognize and analyze the interconnections within the whole garden. When we alter one part of a system, it will change other parts.
The book is easy to understand and gives you ways to apply these ideas to your own garden. The authors include links to even more resources that gardeners will find interesting.
Then the book gives some basics of climate change and how, in a general way, it is affecting gardeners.
Finally, the book addresses how gardeners can not only adapt to climate change, but take steps to mitigate climate change by reducing emissions to stabilize the levels of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere.
To adapt to climate change, you may use a more diverse mix of plants in your garden, including plants that are usually grown in a warmer gardening zone.
To mitigate climate change, you might cut down the need for gas-powered mowers and fossil-fuel-based fertilizers by replacing high-maintenance lawns with alternative plants.
Get involved in environmental change
While there are things we can do as individuals, sometimes big change needs big groups.
One way to get involved is by participating in how $4.2 billion will be allocated through New York State’s Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act. The public can take part in listening sessions. Virtual meetings will take place from 6-8 p.m. Monday, June 26 and from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 26. Register here to attend the sessions. See more on funding here.
Get involved at the local level
Many villages, towns, cities and counties have boards or committees that are concerned with climate change. The names of these groups usually contain “conservation” or “environment.” Consider becoming a volunteer.
Be a citizen scientist for weather
To understand climate change, scientists need good data.
That’s especially important in Western New York where areas close to each other can have extremely different weather. During the Snowvember Storm of 2014, some South Cheektowaga residents got a winter’s worth of snow—60 inches—but just a mile away, the National Weather Service office at the airport recorded only 16 inches, said Dan Kelly, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
Weather reporting stations can be 15 miles apart, while a band of lake effect weather might be only a mile or two wide. That band could easily miss the weather stations we have in place.
Volunteers are needed to collect weather data from their homes through the nonprofit group Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network. It’s better known as CoCoRaHS (pronounced kō-kō-rahz) and is supported by the National Weather Service.
“Having volunteers fills in the gaps and gives us a better idea of what’s going on,” Kelly said. “It gives us more accurate information. Lake effect snow is big in Western New York, and the more readings we can get, the better.”
The data that volunteers collect is used not only by the National Weather Service, but by other meterologists, farmers, the US Department of Agriculture, outdoor recreation enthusiasts, emergency managers, teachers and people working with water conservation, storm water management and mosquito control.
Excellent and timely info. THANKS!!