HARRISBURG, DAUPHIN CO. (WOLF) \u2014 Pennsylvania\u2019s first fall foliage report of the season shows color beginning to spread across Northeast and Northcentral Pennsylvania, with several northern counties already approaching peak conditions.<\/p>\n
The state said most of the region remains in the early stages of its color transition. But brighter reds, golds and oranges are becoming more visible in higher elevations, northern hardwood forests and along some popular scenic routes.<\/p>\n
Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike, Potter, McKean and Tioga counties are listed as approaching peak color in the statewide report.<\/p>\n
Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Wyoming, Carbon, Columbia, Lycoming, Sullivan, Bradford, Clinton, Clearfield, Elk, Cameron, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties are listed as just starting to change.<\/p>\n
In the Poconos, the Monroe\/Pike County service forester said about half of the forest at higher elevations is showing color, while other areas are less advanced. Recent rain knocked down some leaves, but birch and aspen are continuing to display bright gold.<\/p>\n
Black walnut and sugar maple are beginning to turn in some areas, while red maple, black gum and blueberry plants are bringing vivid reds to the landscape. Sassafras is also beginning to show its distinctive orange color.<\/p>\n
Farther north, foresters serving Lackawanna and Luzerne counties said peak color is close in Susquehanna and Wayne counties. Sugar maples are showing orange, birch and hickory are displaying yellow, and red maple and sumac are adding reds to the landscape.<\/p>\n
The report said red shades in the southern portion of that district \u2014 including Luzerne and Lackawanna counties \u2014 are among the best the area has experienced in several years. Foresters expect this season\u2019s foliage to be exceptional.<\/p>\n
Salt Springs State Park in Susquehanna County was recommended for leaf viewing this week in the northern part of the district. In the southern half, the Elmhurst Tract of Pinchot State Forest was identified as a strong option for current color.<\/p>\n
In Northcentral Pennsylvania, color is developing at different speeds depending on elevation and tree species.<\/p>\n
Foresters in Tioga County said the Arnot and Armenia areas of Tioga State Forest are approaching peak color, with maple, cherry and birch providing a particularly scenic display. The western portion of the district, which has more oak trees, is only beginning to change.<\/p>\n
Potter and McKean counties are expected to see northern hardwood forests \u2014 including cherry, maple and birch \u2014 peak between the first and second weekends of October. The best current viewing is near the Route 6 corridor and northwest of Galeton, according to the report.<\/p>\n
Rock Run Road, Thomson Hollow and Lyman Run were recommended for viewing, along with the Losey Run, Lyman Lake and Longtoe vistas.<\/p>\n
In Lycoming County, most of the Tiadaghton State Forest district remains early in the transition. Valleys are still largely green, while scattered yellows can be found at higher elevations, particularly among maples and sassafras. Foresters expect peak color there around the second or third week of October.<\/p>\n
The Loyalsock State Forest district, which includes eastern Lycoming, Sullivan and Bradford counties, is also beginning to brighten. Red maple, sugar maple, staghorn sumac and birch are showing color, although much of the canopy remains green.<\/p>\n
State forest roads, overlooks and vistas in Sullivan and Lycoming counties were recommended because elevation changes are producing varying stages of color.<\/p>\n
The duration and intensity of fall foliage will depend on weather in the coming weeks. Wind and heavy rain can shorten the season by knocking leaves down, while cooler conditions can help maintain the color.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HARRISBURG, DAUPHIN CO. (WOLF) \u2014 Pennsylvania\u2019s first fall foliage report of the season shows color beginning to spread…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":299537,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-299536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=299536"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299536\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=299536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=299536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}