I went out to collect data on March 29th in the morning. It had previously snowed the night before (6-7ins) and was still snowing. Before going out, I expected buds to be present but not breaking. Yes, Burlington had a few warm days, but it was still cold at night and some other days.
All the trees that we observed were around the same phenophase. They all had no buds, leaves, pollen, or followers. The buds that I observed were not breaking and still stiff.
From NPN’s website, I learned that tracking when leaves and flowers appear can be a clear indication of climate change. It can also be a sign of how harsh the winter was leading into spring. For example, in DC, two years ago, the cherry blossom trees bloomed in the first week of March, and now the peak bloom is the last week of March.