El Niño Winds Threaten England's Drought-Stressed Trees — SkimNews
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- Kevin Martin at Kew Gardens warned El Niño-driven high winds could cause root plate failure in trees made brittle by 2026's record heatwaves and drought, saying: "I'm really worried about this autumn."
- The UK Met Office said the developing El Niño is likely the strongest in over a century, forecasting increased storms and rainfall to hit the UK this autumn.
- Kew Gardens lost more than 400 trees following the 2022 heatwave, and Martin predicts 2026's mortality will be significantly worse across the south-east.
- The 2026 spring heatwave pushed May temperatures to a record 35C in England — the hottest May ever recorded — with Martin saying the entire growing season has been "under stress" like never before.
- Simon Richmond of the Arboricultural Association warned the danger is that climate change is turning extreme weather into a prolonged pattern rather than isolated events trees can adapt to.
- Ancient oaks across England are disproportionately affected by the heat and drought, with experts warning many are dying in the current conditions.
- Marcus Lindner of the European Forest Institute said repeated years of drought can push even drought-tolerant species past their tolerance threshold.
Why it matters: The century's strongest El Niño is arriving precisely when England's trees are least resilient — after a record 35C May and ongoing drought that has already killed 400+ trees at Kew since 2022. Martin predicts 2026 mortality will exceed 2022's, with species-level losses of silver birch, beech, and oak possible across south-east England, though full damage won't be assessable for 2-3 years.
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