Climate Change Severely Impacts Pawpaw, North America's Native Fruit
The persistent drought in Ohio, coupled with changing weather patterns attributed to climate change, seems to be impacting North America's largest native fruit: the pawpaw.
TroibNews 
Stubborn drought conditions in Ohio and changing weather patterns related to climate change seem to be impacting North America's largest native fruit, the pawpaw.
This fruit, roughly the size of an avocado and often described as tasting like a blend of mango and banana, is cherished by many but seldom found in U.S. grocery stores due to its short shelf life. The pawpaw flourishes in diverse regions across the eastern half of North America, from Ontario to Florida. Nonetheless, growers in parts of Ohio, which hosts an annual pawpaw festival, and Kentucky are reporting earlier-than-usual harvests and overly bitter fruit this year. This phenomenon may stem from the extreme weather conditions experienced in the region, including spring freezes and ongoing drought.
Valerie Libbey, who operates an orchard in Washington Court House—an hour's drive from Columbus—manages 100 pawpaw trees and noted her surprise at seeing fruit dropping in early August rather than the typical mid-September timeframe.
"I had walked into the orchard to do my regular irrigation and the smell of the fruit just hit me," Libbey recounted, mentioning that the harvest period this year was noticeably shorter and that the pawpaws were smaller and more bitter.
Libbey attributes these changes to heat stress, but it's uncertain whether the drought itself—impacting parts of Ohio and Kentucky for the third consecutive year—or increasingly erratic weather is the primary cause.
"Pawpaw growers are finding we just have to be prepared for more extreme weather events. Last year we were hit with late spring freezes that killed off a lot of the blossoms in the spring time period. This year we were hit by the drought," Libbey explained.
This situation aligns with the impacts of human-driven climate change in the Midwest, as outlined in the National Climate Change Assessment, a government report released every four or five years. The latest report highlighted that both severe drought and flooding pose threats to regional crops and animal production.
"We're definitely seeing kind of a change in our weather patterns here," commented Kirk Pomper, a horticulture professor at Kentucky State University. He added that a clear indicator of the changing weather patterns on pawpaws is the timing of the trees’ flowering, which now tends to occur earlier than in the past.
Chris Chmiel, who runs a small farm in Albany, Ohio—about 90 minutes southeast of Columbus—used to cultivate several hundred pawpaw trees but has seen his numbers dwindle to roughly 100 due to erratic weather patterns, which include years of heavy rainfall followed by intense drought.
Chmiel explained that, while pawpaw trees are generally low-maintenance, they don't thrive when their roots are overly saturated with water, as occurred during the exceptionally wet springs of 2018 and 2019.
Since then, he has observed a significant decrease in his older trees, which produce ethanol when stressed and attract an invasive beetle harmful to the trees.
"For years, we had great crops year after year," Chmiel noted, identifying the invasive beetles as his most pressing recent challenge. However, he emphasized that some of his pawpaw trees were sourced from the wild, where they experienced exposure to multiple microclimates and habitats.
The pawpaw has a long history, having been domesticated by Native American tribes, providing an important food source for many communities over the years.
Long regarded as a hardy species due to their native status, Chmiel remains hopeful that his remaining pawpaw trees can withstand the tumultuous weather and threats from invasive species.
"I feel like that is a resilient system," Chmiel concluded.
Lucas Dupont contributed to this report for TROIB News
This fruit, roughly the size of an avocado and often described as tasting like a blend of mango and banana, is cherished by many but seldom found in U.S. grocery stores due to its short shelf life. The pawpaw flourishes in diverse regions across the eastern half of North America, from Ontario to Florida. Nonetheless, growers in parts of Ohio, which hosts an annual pawpaw festival, and Kentucky are reporting earlier-than-usual harvests and overly bitter fruit this year. This phenomenon may stem from the extreme weather conditions experienced in the region, including spring freezes and ongoing drought.
Valerie Libbey, who operates an orchard in Washington Court House—an hour's drive from Columbus—manages 100 pawpaw trees and noted her surprise at seeing fruit dropping in early August rather than the typical mid-September timeframe.
"I had walked into the orchard to do my regular irrigation and the smell of the fruit just hit me," Libbey recounted, mentioning that the harvest period this year was noticeably shorter and that the pawpaws were smaller and more bitter.
Libbey attributes these changes to heat stress, but it's uncertain whether the drought itself—impacting parts of Ohio and Kentucky for the third consecutive year—or increasingly erratic weather is the primary cause.
"Pawpaw growers are finding we just have to be prepared for more extreme weather events. Last year we were hit with late spring freezes that killed off a lot of the blossoms in the spring time period. This year we were hit by the drought," Libbey explained.
This situation aligns with the impacts of human-driven climate change in the Midwest, as outlined in the National Climate Change Assessment, a government report released every four or five years. The latest report highlighted that both severe drought and flooding pose threats to regional crops and animal production.
"We're definitely seeing kind of a change in our weather patterns here," commented Kirk Pomper, a horticulture professor at Kentucky State University. He added that a clear indicator of the changing weather patterns on pawpaws is the timing of the trees’ flowering, which now tends to occur earlier than in the past.
Chris Chmiel, who runs a small farm in Albany, Ohio—about 90 minutes southeast of Columbus—used to cultivate several hundred pawpaw trees but has seen his numbers dwindle to roughly 100 due to erratic weather patterns, which include years of heavy rainfall followed by intense drought.
Chmiel explained that, while pawpaw trees are generally low-maintenance, they don't thrive when their roots are overly saturated with water, as occurred during the exceptionally wet springs of 2018 and 2019.
Since then, he has observed a significant decrease in his older trees, which produce ethanol when stressed and attract an invasive beetle harmful to the trees.
"For years, we had great crops year after year," Chmiel noted, identifying the invasive beetles as his most pressing recent challenge. However, he emphasized that some of his pawpaw trees were sourced from the wild, where they experienced exposure to multiple microclimates and habitats.
The pawpaw has a long history, having been domesticated by Native American tribes, providing an important food source for many communities over the years.
Long regarded as a hardy species due to their native status, Chmiel remains hopeful that his remaining pawpaw trees can withstand the tumultuous weather and threats from invasive species.
"I feel like that is a resilient system," Chmiel concluded.
Lucas Dupont contributed to this report for TROIB News
