A new Yale study reveals that spring is not coming early — it’s coming later as a result of climate change and the urban heat island effect.

Warm winters are causing NYC trees to miss cues to leaf out for the spring, resulting in late leafing and shorter green periods, the researchers found. The reduced green season can result in slower growth, reduced ability to sequester carbon and effects on ecosystems that depend on leaves, such as insects.

Yale researchers said the results were surprising and it could be the beginning of a trend that park managers said could lead to tree die-outs.

“ We all thought that the expected finding was with climate change and urban heat island effect that you would actually have earlier spring,” Karen Seto, a study author, said. “But in fact, that's not wha

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