Fall Foliage and Climate Change

The document explains that fall foliage is driven by day length, temperature, and rainfall, all of which are being altered by climate change. While the effects are complex and vary by species and latitude, warming fall nights and increased weather extremes like drought and wildfires are disrupting traditional leaf cycles. This has implications for both the tourism economy and the capacity of forests to sequester carbon.

• Fall night temperatures have increased across the majority of analyzed U.S. locations, which can disrupt the cool cues that trigger leaf color and lead to shorter or delayed peak foliage periods.
• The timing of leaf fall is influenced by latitude: lower latitudes (25°N to 40°N) are more sensitive to warming temperatures, while higher latitudes (50°N to 70°N) are more sensitive to shortening day lengths.
• Climate-driven extremes, including severe drought, extreme heat, heavy storms, and intensifying wildfires, can shorten colorful displays or cause leaves to drop before they change color.
• Changes in fall foliage timing are ecologically significant because the duration of the leaf-on period determines how long plants can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

APA

Crimmins, T. M. (2024). Fall Foliage and Climate Change. Climate Central. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/fall-foliage-and-climate-change

Chicago

Crimmins, Theresa M. Fall Foliage and Climate Change. Climate Central, 2024. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/fall-foliage-and-climate-change.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Crimmins |first1=Theresa M. |title=Fall Foliage and Climate Change |publisher=Climate Central |date=25 September 2024 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/fall-foliage-and-climate-change |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{crimmins2024fall, author = {Crimmins, Theresa M.}, title = {{Fall Foliage and Climate Change}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/fall-foliage-and-climate-change}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }