Spring is finally here, with its beautiful days, its soft light and its trees in flower. Among those which regain color, the Japanese cherry tree undoubtedly offers one of the most beautiful shows. In Japan, South Korea or some large cities in the United States and Europe, pink flowers appear for only two weeks, attracting thousands of tourists every year. But climate change threatens these blooms, says Fast Company.
With global warming, our winters are getting milder. In France, for example, the winter period of 2025 was the fourth warmest winter since 1959. These types of temperatures, which are likely to become the norm, can unfortunately delay the flowering of cherry trees by 32 days, indicates a new study led by researchers at the Kyushu Forest Research Institute, Japan. Without sufficient cold, cherry trees do not understand that winter is behind them and that they must come out of their state of hibernation.
Beyond the delay in flowering, the rise in winter temperatures also makes the flowering of cherry trees less spectacular: the number of buds decreases and the trees have a less flowery appearance. This phenomenon could have disastrous consequences for tourism, explains the media.
A wider imbalance
The study carried out by the team from the Kyushu institute looked specifically at Yoshino cherry trees, the most popular variety which was developed in Japan in the 19th century. “What’s really unique about these cherry trees is their massive, sudden blooms: all the flowers open at once, within about a day.”explains Richard Primack, co-author of the study.
Increasingly, the buds bloom over a period of two weeks and the flowers do not last long. Today, cherry trees no longer reach full bloom, which means that 80% of their flowers never open simultaneously. In the future, there will be years when the cherry trees will not bloom at all.
Yet nearly 37 million tourists travel to Japan each year to view the cherry blossoms, and locals take time off work to gather and eat under the blossoming trees. There are also numerous national festivals linked to cherry trees, a true cultural and economic milestone in the country. In 2025, the season will generate an economic impact of nearly 9 billion dollars (7.7 billion euros) in Japan.
In Washington DC, it’s much the same story. The flowering of the trees alone attracts around 1.5 million visitors, representing more than $200 million (171 million euros) in tourism spending. For Richard Primack, if the blossoming of buds is no longer as spectacular, this means that “the hotels are not full, the restaurants are not fullmerchants are not selling as many goods, and therefore this has a considerable impact on the economy”.
The phenomenon observed in cherry blossoms illustrates a broader disruption. Under the effect of global warming, many species are seeing their reproduction disrupted. Winters that are too mild harm flowering, subsequently weakening pollination and, ultimately, the balance of ecosystems. As Richard Primack points out, these upheavals make cherry trees a warning signal: climate change can disrupt natural systems in unexpected ways, with repercussions that go far beyond just the plant world.
