Leaves turning early is a sign of poor health?

[Daniel]

So the leaves on all our trees are already turned and dropped. This is far sooner than other maples in the area. Is this a sign of poor health? Our maples are huge and older so I'd hate to lose them. How long can the trees last in their declining years?

 

[Kenneth]

Is that really true about leaves turning early? I wouldn't really know. I've always looked at the dying leaves as something pretty to look at. Maybe it could have something to do with that global warming talk? This is interesting and I would like to know more.