[masraum]

https://www.nwf.org/Home/Latest-News/Press-Releases/2019/09-25-19-Leave-the-Leaves

With the arrival of fall, the National Wildlife Federation wants to remind you to put your rake and blower away and leave the leaves on the ground as nature intended. Raking up fallen leaves and sending them to a landfill in bags is the norm for most American families during the fall. However, these actions not only harm the environment and wildlife habitat, but also rob your garden of precious nutrients.

“Leaves form a natural mulch that helps suppress weeds and fertilizes the soil as it breaks down. Why spend money on mulch and fertilizer when you can make your own? Turning leaves into solid waste is, well, wasteful,” said National Wildlife Federation Naturalist David Mizejewski. “Removing leaves also eliminates vital wildlife habitat. Critters ranging from turtles and toads to songbirds, mammals and invertebrates rely on leaf litter for food, shelter and nesting material. Many moth and butterfly caterpillars overwinter in fallen leaves before emerging in spring. Also, sending organic matter such as leaves to the landfill causes the release of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Best of all, the less time you spend removing leaves, the more time you’ll have to enjoy the gorgeous fall weather and the wildlife that visits your garden.”

The solution: let leaves stay where they fall. Wherever possible, let fallen leaves break down naturally, which helps improve the soil and provides countless wildlife species with habitat. While leaves will smother your lawn, consider replacing lawn areas with planting beds, filled with native plants and mulched with fallen leaves. If you must remove leaves, use them as mulch in your existing garden beds or compost them on site rather than throwing them away.

You guys complaining about all of this work that you seem to be inventing for yourselves.


WHen I was in HS, I remember there was a particular spot in my neighborhood where the leaves would blow across the street (in front of townhouses, so only 5-10mph "street" for access to/from parking, not a through-street). In my old car, in the wet, I could floor it and the rpms would run up to 5k or 6k as the tires spun. I remember once when the leaves had been a few inches deep, and then they got rained on. I drove through them and blipped the gas to spin the tires, but because the wet leaves were there, i remember the tach wrapping around which was 8k. Apparently, they were MUCH slicker than just wet asphalt.

So, they probably shouldn't be left on streets or maybe sidewalks, but the ground/lawn, sure, no problem.