Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
On Thursday, I wrote a post saying that I was noticing that the leaves were already changing color and, in some cases, starting to fall. A local radio show was also talking about the drought’s impact on the leaves. Then I found a press release quoting a fall foliage expert from Western Carolina University. I said that other media outlets would be picking up on the story soon.
This morning — Saturday morning — the Citizen-Times top headline blares: “Fall Color Comes Early.”
Here’s the top of the press release I ran. Note that the source predicts a long fall color season:
Newswise — If there’s a silver lining to be found in the lack of rain clouds during an extended period of dry weather across the mountains of Western North Carolina this spring and summer, it may come in the form of above-average leaf color this fall.
That’s the word from Katherine Mathews, Western Carolina University’s fearless fall foliage forecaster and an assistant professor of biology specializing in plant systematics. Typically, drier weather during the spring and early summer results in a colorful fall leaf season beginning in October, said Mathews.
“This should be a pretty good year for leaf color change,” she said. “Although there was enough rainfall this spring to keep the trees healthy, we are still in drought conditions in the western part of the state, which, surprisingly, is good for fall color. Fortunately, the summer temperatures have not been as consistently hot as we had last year, so we should not experience the early leaf drop we had last fall. It all adds up to a nice, long progression of fall color.”
In the top of the Citizen-Times story, the same source says the opposite – that the fall leaf season may be cut short because of the drought:
ASHEVILLE – A lack of rainfall could mean a colorful fall leaf season in parts of Western North Carolina — but it also means there could be fewer leaves to see.
An extended period of dry weather in the spring and summer generally translates into better than average fall colors, but the colorful leaves may not stay on trees for long if dry conditions persist.
“It’s sort of a toss up,” said Kathy Mathews, an assistant professor of biology at Western North Carolina and the school’s unofficial fall foliage forecaster. “I think we should have brighter colors but it may not last as long because of the late summer drought.”
