In this Southern Living article, Lukas Suzano from Davey's Nashville office talks about the early-changing leaves and how heat and drought stress are affecting trees. 

Posted: September 23, 2025

A skinny tree with yellow and orange colored leaves.The view through my window says fall has arrived, but one step out the door and I’m singing a different tune. So, to throw it back to 90s-speak, what gives? While cooler temperatures are one factor that causes green leaves to melt into oranges and yellows a wee bit early, there are more elements at play, particularly when leaves in the South start dropping when the kids have only just headed back to school.

“There are several reasons why the leaves begin to change before ‘sweater weather’ hits our region,” says Lukas Suzano, arborist with Nashville Davey Tree. “Fall weather arrives later in the South than in northern parts of the US, so if you’re noticing particularly early leaf color change (for the South, this might be late August or early September), it may be caused by stress factors.”

Suzano is here to help you determine if your leaves are crying for help or simply giving you an early show, along with what all this might mean when true fall finally does arrive.

To continue reading this article, click here. 

For more information, contact the Nashville office. 

The Davey Tree Expert Company, headquartered in Kent, Ohio, provides research-driven tree services, grounds maintenance and environmental and utility infrastructure consulting for residential, utility, commercial and environmental partners in the U.S. and Canada. As one of the top ten largest employee-owned companies in the U.S., Davey's 12,000 employees have been dedicated to creating and delivering sustainable solutions since 1880. Apply today to join the Davey legacy, and learn about how we're growing with our new SEED Campus

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