The increase in tree "fluff" is likely a stress response from poplars, aspen and willows reacting to the dry conditions from the past few years, according to the N.W.T.'s department of Environment ...

What we’re seeing is sometimes called “Poplar Cotton.” This “white fluff” is seeds from the poplar, aspen and cottonwood trees, not pollen. Allergenic pollen is not visible to the naked eye.