CENTRE COUNTY — The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources released its first weekly Fall Foliage Report for the 2024 season on Thursday, Sept. 26, with Centre County expected to see peak autumn colors in about three weeks, toward mid to late October.
According to the Week One Fall Foliage Report, Centre County is currently starting to see leaves change for the season.
“Early signs of change have appeared across the landscape in Bald Eagle State Forest,” the report noted. “Many trees are beginning to shift from their summer hues, hinting at the vibrant colors to come. Several species are already beginning to showcase their autumn shades, with black gum showing its striking red and purple leaves. Additionally, birch and locust species are starting to show their warm, golden tones.”
Rangers with Bald Eagle State Forest said that there are more than 300 miles of forest roads, making it ideal for a forest drive to view the peak colors to come in several weeks.
At the Rothrock State Forest District, rangers reported that the leafage is also changing in the area with patches of lighter green and yellow becoming apparent in the foliage.
“Primary species showing the most color include black birch, black walnut, tulip poplar, red maple and sugar maple. Fall color is inconsistent, but a drive on Seeger Road near the Greenwood fire tower will reveal some yellow birch stands,” the DCNR report explained.
As for the area around Spring Mills, the forestry staff at the Mira Lloyd Dock Resource Conservation Center noted the fact that central Pennsylvania as a whole is in the early stages of changing leaves.
“Dominant species in transition are the members of our maple, birch and hickory families,” the report highlighted. “These species are showing reds and yellows while black gum and sassafras are toward the end of their color spectrum, showing deep red and vibrant orange hues.”
The Week One Fall Foliage Report suggested a drive along Poe Paddy Drive would be the best in the Spring Mills area for some earlier color viewing.
When it comes to fall foliage and autumn colors, Pennsylvania is a unique place to be. The state’s DCNR noted that the Commonwealth has both a longer and more varied foliage season than anywhere else in the world as it is part of one of the only three areas worldwide that can support deciduous forests that display full and rich autumn colors.
The eastern part of North America, Northwestern Europe including the British Isles as well as northeastern China along with northern Japan are the only other regions that experience a fall foliage season similar to Pennsylvania. Most of the rest of the world’s forested areas are coniferous or tropical.
“Pennsylvania is the meeting ground of northern trees that flourish only on mountain tops farther south and southern species that are at the northern limits of their range,” the Pennsylvania DCNR website emphasized.
For the state overall, the DCNR noted that despite a dryer growing season, the late summer and early fall rains have helped keep premature leaf drop at bay.
“Cold nights, coupled with prevailing dry conditions during late August and early September stimulated noticeable color changes throughout Penn’s Wood. Fall foliage viewers should expect a vibrant season that arrives sooner and lasts for a slightly shorter period compared to last year,” the report explained.
On top of the changing colors of Pennsylvania’s trees, the DCNR also noted that fall wildflowers such as goldenrods and asters are adding bright hues to the season.
Three main factors impact the changing of fall leaves: leaf pigments, length of night and the weather. As the season rolls in, it’s the increasing length of nighttime that has the biggest effect on the timing of the falling and color changes.
“None of the other environmental influences — temperature, rainfall, food supply and so on — are as unvarying as the steadily increasing length of night during autumn,” the DCNR said. “As days grow shorter, and nights grow longer and cooler, biochemical processes in the leaf begin to paint the landscape with nature’s autumn palette.”
The Pennsylvania DCNR will publish a weekly Fall Foliage Report every Thursday until the majority of the Commonwealth is either past its peak for fall foliage colors or the colors are starting to fade.
