Goodbye 'false autumn', hello 'mast year' - here's what it means

The UK's hottest summertime connected grounds has triggered a "mast year", erstwhile trees and shrubs nutrient an unusually ample fig of fruits and nuts similar acorns, conkers and berries.

But concerns astir the blistery and adust conditions creating a alleged "false autumn" person been allayed successful immoderate areas, according to the National Trust, aft experiencing precocious rainfall.

The conservation foundation has acceptable retired its prediction for a long, colourful autumn show successful the coming weeks, portion besides informing of the ongoing situation of clime change.

It says volatile upwind patterns airs an expanding situation for experts arsenic they conflict to foretell autumn conditions.

What is simply a 'mast year'?

Berries, acorns, and fungi are already abundant and are a invited boost for wildlife. But this twelvemonth the upwind has encouraged definite plants to nutrient a bumper harvest of fruits, nuts and berries (whose corporate word is "mast").

The National Trust says the UK is experiencing a "mast year", which typically happens astir erstwhile each 4 years.

This improvement involves trees and shrubs creating "more nutrient than animals tin perchance eat", according to the Woodland Trust, which adds that this guarantees immoderate of the harvest volition beryllium near implicit to past and germinate.

Emily Chandler, caput gardener astatine the National Trust's Dunham Massey successful Cheshire, said the measurement of acorns is "the largest we person ever seen".

Meanwhile, Claire McNally, caput gardener astatine the Rowallane Garden successful Northern Ireland, besides said they are looking guardant to their champion berry play for astatine slightest 5 years.

'False autumn' averted

The National Trust said upwind conditions person enactment the brakes connected the commencement of a "false autumn" successful immoderate areas, erstwhile prolonged hot, adust conditions tin origin plants to prematurely shed leaves and ripen fruits excessively early.

But showers successful September person present enactment the play backmost connected track, the foundation said.

Steve Feazey, Sheffield Park's caput gardener successful East Sussex, said: "Our trees person had a bully drink, and we are present hopeful that our autumn show volition beryllium arsenic fiery and spectacular arsenic ever."

Although Martyn Burkinshaw, gardens and outdoors manager astatine Petworth House successful West Sussex, said immoderate seasoned trees had died "and others person already dropped their leaves for winter".

But helium predicted that "the mode the colours are presenting present I'd estimation the champion clip for autumn colour volition beryllium mid-late October."

Read much from Sky News:
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Big effect harvest

In September, the National Trust reported a bumper harvest of orchard effect and pumpkins.

Rebecca Bevan, works wellness and sustainability consultant, said that clime alteration had brought "some precise challenging increasing conditions implicit caller years" but "certainly effect harvests are a occurrence communicative for 2025".

"This year's pome and different histrion effect harvests - including overmuch of the abundance successful hedgerows - is apt owed to the bedewed conditions past year... followed by a adust and sunny spring.

"Lots of prima implicit the summertime was past perfect for ripening the fruit," she added.

But the adust upwind has besides had an interaction connected farmers, with the National Farmers Union (NFU) reporting successful August that water shortages person impacted the increasing season.

"Some farms are reporting a important driblet successful yields, which is financially devastating for the workplace concern and could person impacts for the UK's wide harvest," NFU vice-president Rachel Hallos said.