The growing season in the Central Appalachians is generally expected to increase by 21 days or more by the end of the century, due to fewer days with a minimum temperatures below 32°F.

Evidence at both global and local scales indicates that growing seasons have been getting longer, and this trend is projected to become even more pronounced over the next century. As seasons shift so that spring arrives earlier and fall extends later into the year, phenology may shift for plant species that rely on temperature as a cue for the timing of leaf-out, reproductive maturation, and other developmental processes. Longer growing seasons could also result in greater growth and productivity of trees and other vegetation, but only if balanced by available water and nutrients.