In spring, deciduous forests experience the regrowth of leaves on trees as they exit the dormant winter period and temperatures rise, initiating a new cycle of photosynthesis and growth.
In the spring, one of the characteristic changes observed in deciduous forests is that the trees regain their leaves. During winter, deciduous trees enter a dormant period where they lose their leaves and photosynthesis halts. As temperatures increase with the arrival of spring, they begin to sprout new leaves, harnessing the energy required from stored nutrients. This annual cycle allows temperate forests to conserve water during dry or cold seasons and enables trees to resume photosynthesis and growth in the spring.
This burst of new growth allows the forest to bank energy over the coming active period, contributing to the forest's overall net primary productivity, which, despite being lower than that of tropical wet forests, still significantly shapes the biome's ecosystem by affecting soil chemistry and nutrient cycles with the leaf litter. The new leaves also provide necessary shade and habitat for many forest species.