This summer’s drought is expected to cause a patchy array of fall color in the leaf-peeping haven of New England.
A tree with yellow and brown leaves, center, stands near a statue Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, in Concord, Mass. This summer's drought is expected to cause a patchy array of fall color in the leaf-peeping haven of New England. Experts predict that it will be more spread out this year with some trees changing earlier or even browning and dropping leaves because of the drought.
Leaf peeping is big business in places like New England, where millions of visitors from around the country and world bring in billions of dollars. “Typically we get so many inquiries for last-minute stays through that period that I don’t even really start thinking about it until this week and next week,” she said.Severe and even extreme drought set in this summer in southern New England and remains in some areas, while up north parts of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are in a moderate drought or are abnormally dry.
The same thing is happening on some ridgetops in Connecticut where oak trees in thin dry soils are browning and dropping leaves early, meaning they're shutting down. And many southern New England beech trees, whose leaves typically turn yellow and orange in the fall, have been hit by beech leaf disease, causing them to drop their leaves, said Robert Marra, a forest pathologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.