WASHINGTON POST • October 17, 2020
Scientists say the long-term effects of climate change on fall colors are already apparent. Warming temperatures tend to help invasive species. Because they tend to come from places with milder winters than the eastern United States, they readily adapt to the longer growing season and remain an active threat for more of the year. Invasive shrubs are overwhelming forest understories and adding more red tones with their leaves and fruit. Pests and pathogens may continue to ramp up their attacks on certain species and allow others to take over, shifting the fall palette. And as the climate gets warmer and drier, forests in New England that appear mostly red and orange today might not stay that way.