Warm Spell Could Bode Ill For Minnesota's Trees

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Minnesota's current warm spell is leading to fear that forests and fruit trees could bud early, and that could be devastating for them later in the spring.

With recent record breaking highs and temperatures running more than 20 degrees above normal the last couple of days, U of M forest ecology researcher Rebecca Montgomery is concerned.

The warm temperatures could lead to early budding for Minnesota's trees, and if temperatures dip down to freezing later on, the blossoms will die.

"I have seen a number of trees, there are Silver Maples around the urban area and their flower buds are these big fat flower buds. I'm expecting that if we have you know three, four days of this kind of warm weather, that those flowers may come out," Montgomery said.

Montgomery said once temperatures are well above freezing for several days, the trees can actually sense the heat. That is what sets the budding process in motion.

"They pretty much have one chance to flower. So the flowers come out in this warm spell and then are frost killed later. That means that the trees won't produce any fruits this year," she said.

It was a problem for apple farmers back in 2012. Warm temperatures led to an early bud. Later, an April freeze killed the budding blossoms and took a bite out of the apple crop.

"We had a reduced apple production that year because of an early Spring, actually much like this, where it got warm in March and then we had our regular April frost and colder temperatures," Montgomery said.

Minnesota's apple orchards took a hard hit after that. Many orchards were forced to supplement their small harvest with imported apples.

It's something Montgomery says could likely be a reality again this fall.