This weekend’s rainfall may be a key factor in whether the region’s autumn foliage can recover from a dry summer that has already pushed many trees to turn brown prematurely.
Megan Carpenter works in the Upper Cumberland Division of the Tennessee Division of Forestry. She said the lack of precipitation over the last two months has caused many leaves to bypass their typical color changes.
“I think we’re past the point where we’re going to get a great season,” Carpenter said, “Just because a lot of those leaves changing to just straight to brown and some of them changing pretty significantly early on due to the heat.”
Carpenter said the heat stress along with the lack of rain triggered early changes in species like poplars as far back as a month ago. While many residents interpreted the yellowing leaves as an early start to the season, Carpenter said the timing was actually a reaction to environmental stress rather than the natural onset of autumn.
“It’s really going to kind of depend on the amount of rain and how it impacts them,” Carpenter said. “We’re hoping that some of this rain that’s coming in this weekend will help brighten up some of the leaves that are still left on the trees.”
Carpenter said the Upper Cumberland typically sees peak colors in mid to late October. This timeline generally falls later than the peak in the mountains because the region sits at a lower elevation.
“You want a balance,” Carpenter said. “You want the rain but you don’t want the wind to come through.”
Despite the weather challenges, Carpenter said staff at state forests are still seeing some color development in specific species. Carpenter said the region is primarily an oak-hickory forest, though it features a mix of poplar and maple trees. Sugar maples often produce a bright orange color, while scarlet oaks are known for turning a deep red.
Carpenter said scarlet oaks are often the only trees on the hills that still have bright leaves by mid to late November. Regarding residential property, Carpenter said homeowners should generally not be concerned about leaves falling early in late August or September because the leaves have already completed their food production for the year.
