A new study by the University of Munich has turned scientific opinion on its head by suggesting that trees lose their leaves earlier. Scientific studies had previously claimed that warmer weather would make leaves remain on the branches for longer. It’s thought that whilst increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere do indeed lead to more photosynthesis during spring and summer, by the autumn a tree’s roots and wood are overloaded with carbon, which causes a tree to shed the leaves early. The scientists who produced the study have said that over the next few decades trees will begin shedding their leaves earlier and earlier. “Previous models suggested that leaf drop will occur 2 to 3 weeks later over over the rest of the century,” Dr Constantin Zohner told the i newspaper. “Our new model predicts slight advances of 3 to 6 days.” The fact that trees are shedding their leaves earlier has serious consequences for the planet according to the report, as it means that trees have less time to absorb carbon dioxide through the year. “A two-week delay in autumn senescence [leaf fall] as predicted by previous models would increase annual carbon capture of temperate trees by ~ one gigaton. Our updated models – predicting even slight advances in senescence – therefore lower our expectations of the extent to which longer growing seasons lead to increased carbon capture under future warming conditions.”