WASHINGTON — As we get deeper into fall, temperatures aren’t the only things dropping. Leaves, decked in hues of red and gold are making their annual trip to the ground as they fall from trees.
“So this is National Wildlife Federation’s leave the leaves month and we encourage people to leave the leaves in their yards,” explained Mary Phillips, head of the National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife program and Certified Wildlife Habitat.
The National Wildlife Federation is hoping people can leave a few leaves around to benefit wildlife. “Leave the Leaves” is the group’s push to encourage people to use some of the leaves that fall from trees in their garden beds or leave some on the grass. NWF said people can also use the leaves in their compost or make sure they get composted or participating in your area’s yard trim and leaf pick-up program.
“Raking into the garden bed where they can create soil nutrients, they can become a home for a variety of wildlife,” Phillips said. “Queen bumblebees also hibernate about 1 to 2 inches in that leaf layer.”
Fallen leaves have also been shown to benefit fireflies, moths and butterflies. NWF said the fallen leaves create a natural mulch layer that preserves soil moisture, suppresses weeds and naturally composts, returning nutrients directly to plant roots.
Phillips is hoping that leaves don’t end up in a landfill. NWF said leaves and other yard debris add up to 10 million tons of yard waste in landfills each year. Once leaves get there, they don’t get oxygen, and eventually generate methane as they decompose. Methane supercharges warming the planet. NASA found that methane is the second largest contributor to climate warming, after carbon dioxide.
Here are some tips for getting the job done right. Phillips said to gently rake the leaves into the garden bed and to leave a few on the grass.
“When you’re leaving leaves, you don’t want to suffocate the lawn. This kind of little bit of leaves in this area on the grass right now is OK,” Phillips demonstrated.
Some homeowner’s associations and other ordinances may prohibit leaves from laying on the grass in yards. According to a National Wildlife Federation survey, 52% of people are required to remove their autumn leaves by either a homeowner’s association, city or municipality ordinance, or a combination of both.
The survey also found that 90% of respondents are still willing to leave or repurpose their leaves to benefit wildlife and the environment. For those who can leave leaves on their lawns, NWF suggests people add them to a compost pile or use a mulching mower to chop leaves in place and return them to the soil.
