In Eastern Canada’s forests the vibrant colors “marking the arrival of fall, may have appeared early this year, or not at all.”, according to Lyndsay Armstrong in a recent article. The dramatic weather extremes of the summer including extreme heat and fires followed by smoky and overcast days has meant that in some places, like Nova Scotia, “dull brown has replaced the vibrant hues usually seen this time of year in much of the province.”
Fortunately the lack of dramatic colors doesn’t indicate any harm to the trees though it of course disappoints human viewers and also has economic implications since many places rely on tourism from those that come specifically to see the fall color displays.
If we work together on climate change perhaps we won’t have to consign dramatically coloured fall foliage displays to something nostalgic that we can only tell our children and grandchildren about rather than having them be able to see it for themselves.