Fall foliage expert says New England will have a 'long season of pastel colors'
BOSTON - There is nothing quite like fall in New England. As the humidity begins to drop and the summer sun slowly fades earlier each day, you can almost smell the change in the air - from the aroma of pumpkin lattes to apple cider donuts. However, it's the show Mother Nature puts on display each autumn that can really set the tone, and this year is going to be a good one, according to local foliage expert Jim Salge.
"We think it's going to be a good year; we're going to have a long season of pastel colors," Salge explains.
Jim Salge is a foliage expert in New England and has been providing detailed forecasts for Yankee Magazine for a dozen years now and knows each year can have its challenges.
"Last year was brief and bright. We had a big punch of colors in the drought, and then it fell really quickly. This year is going to be completely different, " Salge says.
The weather over the last year is the reason for the change.
"We've had some real anomalous weather for the last year, from the drought to the real hard freeze in February, to the late frost in May, so all those things are contributing," Salge explains.
Back in February, the mercury dropped to minus 10 degrees in Boston and even lower inland. While it did damage some fruit trees, the forest looks generally healthy, and the cold snap actually helped ward off harming insects.
"The good news is the spongy moths couldn't survive the super arctic blast this February, so we haven't seen a lot of leaf damage from pests and caterpillars this year," Salge says.
It's the recent rainy weather that will have the biggest impact on fall color this year.
"We're headed into an El Nino, we've already gotten a lot of rain, it's going to stay warm and wet through the fall, that's really the biggest driver," Salge explains. "So, when the soils are too wet, the roots don't get a chance to dry out, the trees don't get to process the photosynthesis properly, there is a lot of stress. If they stay wet, colors are going to turn a little early, "
And while you may have already noticed the early start to the season, Salge warns don't expect that big, red, bright punch of color this year.
"We factored in the fact there is going to be some leaf fungus around this fall because of the moisture . It's one of the reasons why we don't think it's going to be the brightest year even though it will be long-lasting," Salge confirms.
Peak will be a little later, too, extending the beautiful foliage season, and you don't have to travel far to find great color this year.
"So, we think that DownEast Maine is looking good. And we haven't had a great year in southern New England in a long time; I think they are primed for a pretty good year as well. But it's going to be a nice long season for everybody to get out and enjoy," Salge told WBZ-TV.