In the News: What Local Climate Trends Mean for Gardeners

As the global climate changes, what will its local impact be?

To answer that question, Stephen Vermette, professor in the Geography and Planning Department, identified five climate zones in the eight-county Western New York region. He identified trends in each area from 1965 to the present, noting that the work to date is still a “first approximation.” His goal is to collaborate with other local entities to help Buffalo-Niagara adapt to climate change locally.

Buffalo News environmental reporter T. J. Pignataro reported Vermette’s findings on October 24. One of the issues Pignataro raised is the impact of changes on Western New York’s growing season, which has lengthened by two weeks.

What does that mean for gardeners? That was the question addressed by Connie Oswald Stofko in a recent article published by Buffalo-Niagara Gardening.com, an online magazine for local gardeners. Stofko noted that, while gardeners may experiment with plants from more southerly locations, there may be drawbacks, too, including new weeds, pests, and plant diseases.