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Which Needs Sunblock — Maple Trees Or DaVinci Roofs?

The answer is maple tress. Are you surprised? I was when I read that while studying the fall color changes on trees plant researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison discovered that brilliant red pigments act like sunblock to shade sensitive leaf tissue during the fall when trees reabsorb nutrients from their leaves. The researchers explained, “Trees need to store as many of those nutrients as they can before the leaves drop.” Basically the red pigment produced by the leaves performs much the same important function as sunscreen on human skin.

The outer leaves of maple trees are more colorful than shaded leaves inside the canopy and leaves on the north side. The maples and oaks in the cool but sunny Midwestern and New England states turn red, while European species such as the Norway maple do not produce the same brilliant red. The absence of red leaves is the result of the cloudier and warmer weather in these locations during fall. Therefore, these species don’t need the protection of these pigments.

Unlike maple leaves the DaVinci Shake and Slate composite roofing have state-of-the-art ultraviolet and color stabilizers to help protect the rooftop color from fading in the sun. The roofing tiles resemble classic traditional slate and shake but require none of the maintenance. Modeled after actual slate and shake, the synthetic roof shingles are backed by a lifetime warranty and resist fire, impact, moisture, curling, cracking, fading, mold, algae, fungus and insects!

While you and your maple trees need to take care to block the sun your DaVinci roof needs no special care to keep it looking great.