Many people today, from the general public to commercial operators, sing the praises of recycling, repurposing, composting and more. Whatever the semantics, what everyone is trying to say is:

“Do not take anything to the landfill!”

We agree. And we disagree. We agree that placing minimal waste in a landfill is a good thing. We disagree when the alternative is not well thought out, such as:

“Ain’t this great? We deposit all of our community leaf litter in public parks!”

Leaf litter in limited quantity,  as in when it falls from trees in nature, is biodegradable. Leaf litter volumes in excess of this is far less biodegradable.

Dumping leaf litter in a park is detrimental to living flora, is unsightly and encourages more of the same. This sort of activity reinforces the community’s impression that an area is abandoned, neglected, abused and unloved.

Leaf litter drops in a forest in the exact proportion to what can be assimilated by the area in which it falls. Part of the grand design.

Once leaf litter is deeper than about 3 inches, the oxygen, nitrogen and moisture necessary for this decomposition to take place becomes less available and decomposition slows until what was an aerobic process becomes anaerobic.

In simple English, once leaf litter is deeper than about 3 inches or so, it just doesn’t break down into that wonderful, earthy, loamy stuff that helps a woodland garden grow. Instead, the leaves get wet and pack down heavily and stop breaking down at all. Oxygen can’t penetrate this sodden mess and tree roots can be deprived of oxygen, water and nutrients. This can spell death or a slow decline for trees.

Leaf litter, if shredded or cut up using a composting lawn mower, can be scattered in a woodland or planting bed.  Shredded leaf litter in pieces smaller than 2 square inches, will blow around much less than a full size leaf.

For anyone with Water Oaks in their yard, the leaf is quite narrow and is the dickens to rake or blow. Compare that with the leaf of a maple or white oak. These leaves with their larger surface area, catch the wind quite effectively and can be blown from yard to yard with ease. Shredded leaf litter also has a frayed edge that absorbs water more quickly than the sealed edge of a full leaf.

When scattering shredded leaf litter, be sure that it is not spread deeper than 3 to 5 inches deep. This shredded material will break down quite quickly, more quickly than un-shredded leaves and can be put to good use in a woodland setting. Leaf litter shredded takes up much less volume than leaves unshredded.

It is a curiosity that standard suburban practice involves the systematic removal of the very leaf litter that nurtures the soil as part of the cycle of nature.  Then to feed the yards thus impoverished, homeowners spend money and life energy buying mulches and fertilizer to replace the nutrients that were delivered to their doorstep.

Lullwater Conservation Garden can be a beautiful link in the Olmsted parks of Druid Hills.  If dumping of leaf litter continues unchecked, trees will be killed, root systems eliminated, erosion increased and the wonderful natural environment there further degraded. At this point, stewardship suggests intervention to protect and steward the resource. It can all begin by stopping the practice of leaf dumping.