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It’s that time of year when the mornings come with frost and the evenings come quickly.
For many creatures, this means the final preparations for the coming winter. For many of us that means hours of yard work battling the leaves.
The leaves are often thought of as litter. To a lot of people, they look messy. Thus, Americans spend countless hours raking, bagging, blowing and even burning the leaves of their properties.
Leaf blowers can be handy, low-effort tools for moving large numbers of leaves quickly. But as with using gasoline-powered landscaping machines, it can cost beyond time and money. The blowers are loud. They can cause hearing loss.
Exhaust gases also pollute the air and contribute to greenhouse gases.
Nature knows better. He knows that when the leaves are on the ground, good things happen.
If you don’t want to see a thick carpet of leaves in your garden, you can help nature get things done by chopping up dead leaves with your lawn mower.
The fallen leaves form a kind of organic blanket that protects the roots and critters from the impending cold. Over time, this blanket is composted by a plethora of microorganisms that plant roots use as a source of natural fertilizer and that pollinating insects use as a source of food.
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This organic matter also allows more precipitation to seep into the soil, reducing harmful flooding and polluted stormwater runoff while recharging groundwater supplies. Scientists estimate that forest mats infiltrate 10 to 15 times more precipitation than equivalent lawn areas.
When entering the soil, pollutants from precipitation can be filtered out by soils and broken down by microorganisms. This groundwater is the source of drinking water for many Pennsylvanians with wells and supplies the streams with fresh, clean water during the dry summer months.
Leaves also play an important role in sustaining a diverse and abundant life in local rivers and streams by creating what is called the watershed ‘tea’. This tea is the microscopic decomposition of leaves and wood, and it is the food source for the good insects and bacteria in a stream. These insects support healthy populations of economically important Eastern brook trout, the iconic Hellbender of the East, our state amphibian, and a wide range of others. creatures.
Pennsylvania has a lot of trees and therefore leaves. But we have lost a lot, especially in the places where they are needed most, along streams and streets. No other practice is more effective in restoring healthy streams, purifying the air, and providing wildlife habitat than strategically planted trees. That’s why we’re working with over 200 partners to plant 10 million trees for Pennsylvania.
Many studies have also found that being around and just looking at trees can improve our health. Trees do this by releasing chemicals called phytoncides, which help lower blood pressure and heart rate, reduce stress, anxiety, and promote sleep.
So take a break this fall. Instead of blowing them, walk among the leaves.
As the great Pennsylvania environmentalist Manny Gordon said, “Enjoy, enjoy! “Our health, well-being and quality of life will be better.
Harry Campbell is the PA Science Policy and Advocacy Director for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
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