ETSU will offer weekly fall color predictions

JOHNSON CITY – Orange and yellow hues hugging the meandering roads through Roan Mountain. Spots of red lining the Tweetsie Trail. Bright orange and yellow lighting up the maple trees nestled throughout Johnson City.  

In the weeks ahead, the vibrant shades of autumn will dot the regional landscape.  

Scores of Americans, many here in the Appalachian Highlands, will take part in the annual tradition of “leaf peeping,” a major tourism boom that sees folks go for long drives and hit the trails in hopes of spotting breath-taking autumn leaves.   

This year, East Tennessee State University aims to make the process easier. 

Travis Watson, the university’s campus arborist who holds a master’s degree in biology from ETSU, will offer a weekly prediction about fall color.  

That prediction, published every Thursday until the season ends, will include when fall color will start to appear, and then peak, in both the higher and lower elevations. 

Watson will also provide thoughts about how the week’s weather – temperatures, precipitation and possible storms – will affect fall color.  

“We live in such a beautiful area, and the Appalachian Highlands are home to some stunning trees and vegetation,” Watson. “I hope this weekly report will help the public enjoy our area even more.” 

The first prediction will publish Thursday, September 22. Look for it on ETSU’s social media platforms, as well as ETSU News.