Alishan maple foliage reaches peak viewing season

Taipei, Dec. 13 (CNA) Forestry Bureau officials announced Friday that the peak season for viewing maple tree foliage in the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area will last from now until New Year's Day.

The officials from the Chiayi branch of the bureau said that the approaching cold air mass was expected to help the maple foliage continue to transform into spectacular colors.

The officials noted that the best areas to head to include the Ogasawara Viewing Platform, Ciyun Temple, Zhaoping Station, and Duigaoyue Station.

They said that about 50 percent of the maple foliage visible from the Ogasawara Platform has turned red, while the maples near Zhaoping and Duigaoyue stations are approximately 40 percent red.

At Ciyun Temple, the green maples have just begun to change and about 10 percent have red hues.

Huang Yuan-ming (黃源明), a retired elementary teacher devoted to documenting Alishan's beauty, said on his "Alishan: Strolling Above the Clouds" Facebook page that as well as the trees in the forest park, the green maples along the Shizilu section of the Taiwan Provincial Highway No. 18 are a sight to behold.

"From the 79K tunnel to the 83.5K section, the roadside green maples are beautifully vibrant," he wrote.

Huang added that in the 88K and 90.8K sections, the trident maples are changing daily, showcasing shades of yellow, green and red. Additionally, the maple trees along Highway No. 18 between Alishan and Tataka have already turned red.

The Central Weather Administration has forecast that a continental cold air mass moving southward on Saturday could cause temperatures to drop to 10 degrees Celsius in northern parts of the country, as well as the Matsu Islands on Sunday and Monday.