High winds during El Niño could be deadly for England’s stressed trees, say experts

High winds associated with El Niño could cause widespread mortality among tree species already weakened by a prolonged period of extreme heat and drought, experts have warned.

This summer much of Europe has been scorched by a series of record-breaking climate crisis-induced heatwaves. The impact is notable across much of England’s countryside, where once green land has turned brown, and many trees are undergoing “early autumn” – wilting and losing their leaves early – to cope with extreme heat.

Kevin Martin, head of tree collections at Kew Gardens, said to cope with these extreme conditions, trees had not grown as they normally would, and had become less flexible and more brittle.