Do Plant Hardiness Zones Matter with Dan McKenney and John Pedlar

In the past, you would consult a plant hardiness zone map if you wanted to know whether a fruit tree or any other plant could survive in your climate.  But our climate is quickly changing. Are plant hardiness zone maps still helpful?

In this episode, we chat about plant hardiness zones with two research scientists from the Canadian Forest Service. They are Dan McKenney, PhD and John Pedlar. You can learn more about their work and download plant hardiness maps here.

This month's recommended resource:
Arbor Day Foundations's new book Now is the Time For Trees: Make an Impact by Planting the Word's Most Valuable Resource (affiliate link)

You can find more information about plant hardiness zones below:

Canadian Plant Hardiness Zone Maps and More:
planthardiness.gc.ca

Change and Evolution in the Plant Hardiness Zones of Canada:
https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/64/4/341/247944

The generation of USDA-equivalent extreme minimum temperature models and a comparison with Canada’s plant hardiness zones:

https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.4141/P05-070

Beyond Traditional Hardiness Zones: Using Climate Envelopes to Map Plant Range Limits:

https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/57/11/929/234249

The host of the Orchard People radio show and podcast is Susan Poizner of the fruit tree care education website www.orchardpeople.com.  

Susan is the author of four books on fruit tree care. Learn more here: https://learn.orchardpeople.com/books

She is also the creator of five-star rated premium online fruit tree care education at: https://learn.orchardpeople.com

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FOR MORE INFORMATION ON GROWING FRUIT TREES THAT THRIVE:

✂️ How to Prune Fruit Trees:

https://orchardpeople.com/how-to-prune-and-train-fruit-trees/

🪲 Fruit Tree Pests and Diseases:

https://orchardpeople.com/protecting-fruit-trees-from-pests-and-diseases/

🌳 How to Feed Fruit Trees:

https://orchardpeople.com/how-to-feed-fruit-trees/

🍎 The Best Fruit Trees to Grow:

https://orchardpeople.com/best-fruit-trees-to-grow/

🌱 How to Graft Fruit Trees:

https://orchardpeople.com/how-to-graft-fruit-trees/

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• (00:00) - Introduction to Plant Hardiness Zones
• (00:38) - Questioning the Plant Hardiness Zone System
• (00:55) - Meet the Experts: Dan McKenney and John Pedlar
• (01:16) - Understanding Plant Hardiness Zones
• (04:49) - The Canadian vs. American Systems
• (08:39) - Impact of Mulching and Snow on Plant Hardiness
• (11:02) - Listener Questions and Expert Insights
• (12:11) - Epigenetics and Plant Adaptation
• (22:12) - Updating the Plant Hardiness Zone Maps
• (26:27) - Climate Change and Plant Hardiness
• (32:27) - Adapting to Climate Change: Challenges and Variations
• (33:09) - Late Spring Frosts and Plant Sensitivity
• (33:47) - Listener Insights: Climate Change in Northern Indiana
• (36:27) - Strategies for Home Growers
• (38:15) - Sugar Bush Experiences and Climate Variability
• (41:04) - Advice for Gardeners Adapting to Climate Change
• (43:37) - Closing Remarks