Toronto’s trees are changing colour earlier than usual — here’s why - Prof. Laura Bolt interview with Now Toronto

Forestry’s newest faculty member, Associate Professor Laura Bolt, was interviewed for Now Toronto by Patricia Dolor:

If you’ve been walking through Toronto’s parks or tree-lined streets lately, you may have noticed something surprising: flashes of red, yellow and orange already on display, peaking through the canopies of the city’s trees. According to experts, this shift is arriving ahead of schedule.

Dr. Laura M. Bolt, an assistant professor of forest conservation biology at the University of Toronto, explains that leaves turn when days shorten and nights cool, which signals trees to stop producing chlorophyll — the green pigment that masks other colours. When chlorophyll fades, yellows, reds and oranges are revealed. She says the change is “a few weeks on the early side this year.”

For the full article, click HERE.

And for more on Laura Bolt, check out her Forestry PROFILE.