MICHIGAN, USA — Fall colors in the dog days of summer? Most of the tree coverage remains green – as typical in early August – but if you look closely, you’ll notice subtle signs of fall popping up.
Several 13 ON YOUR SIDE viewers have reached out asking about the faint color change and falling leaves in their backyard. We’re still well over a month away from the classic fall color change we enjoy in Michigan. So, what’s going on?
Scott Van Wyk, a certified arborist, has decades of experience in the tree care industry. The subtle color change is not due to an early arrival of autumn.
“The color change now is related to stress. If you have a tree that doesn’t look the way it should, in terms of leaf color, that is almost always going to be stress this time of year,” said Van Wyk.
Stress related to our weather and climate, which can allow disease or pests to become an issue.
“Summertime, depending on rainfall and temperature, can be more stressful on trees. They need overnight temperatures in the summer that are cool, kind of like our brains kind of need rest when we sleep at night,” said Van Wyk. “They need a resting temperature at night lower than we’ve been getting. If they don’t get that – and they haven’t – they suffer for it,” he added.
Through July, this year has been abnormally warm, putting West Michigan on pace for a top 5 warmest year. Precipitation is well above average, largely due to a wet summer. Stress goes back to last year, with one of the warmest years on record across West Michigan, plus an early summer drought. Other factors that add stress to trees include a longer growing season and wildfire smoke mixing to the surface.
“I do believe that climate change, or as we prefer to say climate disruption, has an impact on trees. There’s no question about it,” said Van Wyk.
So, while the changes are subtle visually, it’s the trees’ way of telling us it’s battling extremes. However, it is not a precursor to how this fall will play out.
“Common misunderstanding is we’re heading to an early autumn. The reason trees develop the color they do in the autumn, which we all love in Michigan, is that the photosynthesis process breaks down and the colors that are there all along become unmasked,” said Van Wyk.