Green Christmas more likely than a white Christmas

By Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent
Last Updated: 2:01pm BST 15/10/2008

Christmas will be green, rather than white this year as changes in the climate mean that leaves are staying on the trees right into the winter.

In the 1940s traditional English trees used to shed their leaves in early November.

Tree are likely to keep their greenery well into December
But now they are keeping their greenery well into December.Dr Tim Sparks, a climate change specialist at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said that warmer autumn weather mean that trees are experiencing fresh growth later in the year.He said there were also fewer frosts, which kill off green growth in the winter months.
The warmer winter months mean children have little hope of seeing snow on Christmas day.
Dr Sparks said: "I would put money on a green Christmas rather than a white Christmas this year."
He said that in the 1930s and 40s the traditional English oak trees shed their leaves between 4th and 21st November but in the last eight years the trees have lost their leaves between 23rd November and 13th December.

And he added that surveys showed people were cutting their laws right up until Bonfire Night, with some having to mow right through the winter to keep gardens under control.
He said: "Because the temperatures are remaining up there's still lots of activity and growth. Lawns are still growing and people are still mowing, and the trees are unseasonably green."
Dr Sparks, who studies climate change at the government environment research centre in Cambridgeshire, said autumns in Britain are warmer and sunnier than in the past. He said temperatures for October/November have gone up by around 2.1ºF (1.2ºC) since 1914 while sunshine has increased by 10 per cent.
Dr Sparks said: "Things are growing for longer and it looks like we are going to get a good display of autumn colour because temperatures are up and we are getting good sunshine levels.
"We could even have a green Christmas this year, we just have to wait and see and enjoy the weather while we can."