Fall foliage expert offers bleak outlook for some of Pennsylvania this fall

Fall foliage could be disappointing in some areas of Pennsylvania this fall, according to a Penn State forest expert.

“It is hard to be optimistic for great fall coloration in the areas now under extreme drought because it has persisted for so long,” said Marc Abrams, professor of forest ecology and physiology. For nearly four decades he has studied how seasonal precipitation and temperature influence the timing and intensity of fall colors.

With little rain in the long-term weather forecast, a worsening drought in much of the Northeast offers a bleak for Pennsylvania’s fall colors, at least in parts of the state.

“The drought is fairly extensive throughout the Northeast, but not in eastern Pennsylvania and southern New York,” noted Abrams. “If this continues, there will be continued early coloration of trees, browning and leaf fall.”

But leaf peepers should not despair just yet, Abrams advised, because there is a random element to fall colors that even scientists don’t fully understand. Sometimes, we get a great display even though climate conditions are less than ideal.

“If, for some reason, precipitation does start to pick up, that will help,” he said.


https://www.pennlive.com/life/2020/08/fall-foliage-expert-offers-bleak-outlook-for-some-of-pennsylvania-this-fall.html




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