Orchards are getting crushed by climate change

Early blooming, then hard freezes, is the biggest problem.

Late-spring freezes predate orchards, but research shows that a warming planet is creating specific conditions that make this kind of destruction more common. And as emissions from greenhouse gases continue to rise, this year is less an anomaly than a harbinger of tough times ahead.

While farmers of a wide variety of crops are experiencing the impacts of climate change from droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events, the economic impact on orchards can be particularly high: It can take up to eight years of year-round care for a tree to bear fruit—with one chance a year for a harvest and no way to simply replant. - Civil Eats