HOLLAND, Mich. — If it looks like fall has arrived early in West Michigan, you’re not imagining it. Across the lakeshore, leaves are turning color and falling weeks ahead of schedule — but it’s not a seasonal change to celebrate.

The early leaf drop is a sign of stress, and experts believe trees could be falling behind before fall even begins.

“I'm expecting over the next couple years, we'll lose a few trees, all coming stemming back to this year, in this really dry season," said Emily Vanstaalduinen, Grounds and Horticulture Manager at Windmill Islands in Holland.

She said the early leaf drop isn’t autumn magic, it’s survival mode.

“We're really seeing a lot of premature leaf drop and early coloring yellow and brown of the leaves. That's all happening so that the trees can kind of c

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