A Message for Landscape Practitioners from the Be a Leaf Hero Campaign

Get a fresh start this fall with better management of leaf litter.  Here are three great approaches:

• Keep leaves off of driveways and roadways where they can easily wash into storm drains and contribute to higher nutrient flows during the fall season. 
• Use a mulching mower.  By mulching leaves into turf areas, you avoid having to rake/blow and bag and you offer a way to manage autumn leaves while providing clients with free fertilizer.  Mulched leaves recycle nutrients and reduce the overall need for applied fertilizer, which can help to reduce nutrient loading for local rivers, streams, and lakes.  
• Alternatively, if your client has an existing compost pile, you can recommend that they consider allowing you to add leaves to the pile.  Leaves provide a critically important element (carbon) to the composting process, making for a more soil enriching product to be used in the next growing season.  Be sure compost piles are located away from streams, lakes, or storm drains as these decomposing materials and nutrients could easily reach these water resources.

These three best practices are consistent with local efforts in many communities, under the Be a Leaf Hero campaign, to improve water quality in local rivers, streams, lakes, and coastal waters.  Many lawn care practices can contribute to storm flows that are especially high in nutrients.  Improper use and disposal of leaves, as well as grass clippings and fertilizers, can put nitrogen and phosphorous into storm runoff that enters local waters.  These polluted flows promote the growth of algae and reduce dissolved oxygen, impacting recreational uses, such as swimming and fishing, and quality of habitat for wildlife.

Do your part and start anew with better land care practices this fall.  For more information see: https://thinkblueconnecticutriver.org/be-a-leaf-hero/ and https://ag.umass.edu/landscape/fact-sheets/yard-waste-management-in-massachusetts

From the municipalities collaborating on Think Blue Connecticut River and Think Blue Massachusetts.