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'Drought Stress' Causing Leaves To Turn Color Early

FERNDALE (WWJ) - It may still be August but in some neighborhoods the sound of raking leaves can be heard.

MSU Horticulturist Burt Cregg tells WWJ's Sandra McNeill that the lack of rain over the last month has put a drought stress on some trees like Maples, encouraging them to shed their leaves early.

"The last couple weeks of the month have been fairly dry ... so as trees begin to undergo stress, a common thing that will happen especially with our maples is that they will begin to turn color early," said Cregg.

Despite Tuesday's rain, Cregg says there is no turning back the clock for nature. "Those trees have already turned, they are not going to turn back."

So does that mean there won't be a fall viewing this year?

Cregg says not to worry - there will be plenty of color left in the coming months.

"A lot of our colors like the Maples and the Oaks, the Sassafras the other trees and I suspect if you go up north in early October you'll still get to see a nice show up there," said Cregg.

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