"... your metaphor is kinda confused there. Especially considering 5% sounds more like natural loss of leaves at any given time anyways ..."
I'm don't mean to suggest trees drop any sort of percentage of leaves. More the fact they do shed leaves (just like Startups shedding staff) in times of water stress.
"... Or... just before they go dormant for the winter... "
Maybe from where you come from. Not where I come from, a land of non-deciduous trees. There is a big difference between deciduous leaves dropping in Autumn and trees under stress. Check the deciduous Oak here loosing leaves in Autumn (yes I keep a visual diary of 1 particular Oak through the seasons) ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157607419227026...
It's called die-back. We get a lot of it where the leaves are shed from the farthest limbs in order to help the core survive. The metaphor I use in this situation is apt.
I'm don't mean to suggest trees drop any sort of percentage of leaves. More the fact they do shed leaves (just like Startups shedding staff) in times of water stress.
"... Or... just before they go dormant for the winter... "
Maybe from where you come from. Not where I come from, a land of non-deciduous trees. There is a big difference between deciduous leaves dropping in Autumn and trees under stress. Check the deciduous Oak here loosing leaves in Autumn (yes I keep a visual diary of 1 particular Oak through the seasons) ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157607419227026...
Then compare this to a non-deciduous Eucalypt in stress ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/493280400/in/set-72157... (yes I also keep a visual diaries of dead trees) ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157607633560765...
It's called die-back. We get a lot of it where the leaves are shed from the farthest limbs in order to help the core survive. The metaphor I use in this situation is apt.