A tree fungus is causing leaves in Tignish to fall earlier than expected. (CBC)

It's only mid-August, but leaves are already falling off some trees on Prince Edward Island because of a fungus that targets maple trees.

Streets and lawns in the community of Tignish, on the northern tip of the Island, are blanketed with fallen brown leaves.

"It's almost as if it's late October," said resident Leo Perry. "I've noticed they're especially maple trees."

Village officials blame the early fall-like conditions on a fungus that targets maple trees and hits sugar maples and Norway maples the hardest.

"It could be a disease called anthracnose," said Jamie McCue, a landscaper for the village.

The disease makes leaves and branches fall off and eventually can cause the tree to die. It is known to occur in humid and wet weather.

Another blight, known as tar spot fungus, has been affecting trees in the province for the past few years.

Gerard LeClair, chair of the village council, said the tree illness has upset local residents.

"Most of our trees here in the community are maple, and some of them are quite old," he said. "It's a real sense of pride that we have here."

McCue said leaving the leaves to mulch into the ground can cause the spores to multiply and then return to the trees in the spring.

Village officials are asking homeowners to rake the fallen leaves and either bury them or put them in bags for roadside pick-up.