The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
By Jenny Kafas
Fall was recently described to me as the most nostalgic season. Lately, every time I step outside, feel crisp air and smell the fallen leaves, I am somehow taken right back to my childhood where I spent hours jumping into the proverbial giant-pile-of-leaves. My mom, despite spending years convincing me to rake the leaves in our yard, tells me that growing up she and her siblings would get in trouble for raking up the leaves to jump in them. Their suburban home in South Jersey had a couple of fruit trees that my grandad claimed needed the leaves to be healthy in the spring. As it turns out it’s not just the fruit trees that need them, it’s all of our trees, and many of our insects, birds, fungi, and soil dwelling creatures. The layer of dead leaves on the ground, or leaf litter, is essential to a healthy ecosystem in our region, but every year many of us rake them off our yards, likely thinking that it’s better for our lawns. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
Leaf litter serves several interesting functions in our natural world. In the winter, one of its most important roles is insulation. It will help protect the first few inches of soil against the harsh cold temperatures and provide safe shelter for overwintering pollinators and perennial plants. Leaf litter is also able to hold an incredible amount of moisture which makes the soil beneath it all the more habitable. By holding water, this layer also helps mediate the cycle of drought followed by heavy rainfall that has become characteristic of this area as we experience climate change. Acting as a sponge, leaf litter prevents rainwater from immediately overwhelming our water ways by storing and allowing water to more gradually reach our water systems, all while filtering it naturally.
Despite most of the trees in our region being deciduous, meaning that they lose their leaves every year, this vital layer of fallen leaves is in short supply. Between the amount of land we’ve paved, and the amount of land we rake or leaf-blow, not enough area is covered in leaves to help protect overwintering insects that will feed our birds and pollinate our flowers in the spring, and there aren’t enough leaves to keep our watershed as healthy as it could be. This makes areas as small as a home yard incredibly important. When you leave your leaves, you’re making the soil in your yard healthier and supporting countless insects and plants, and the critters that rely on them.
The Franklin Township Environmental Commission encourages you to shake the rake and Leave your Leaves! There are still free “Leave the Leaves” lawn signs available. To get a sign, email environmental.commission@franklinnj.gov or suzkafas@gmail.com. For more information visit ftsavethemow.com or check out our video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/wIkTUIZ4mCI.
The Franklin Township Environmental Commission meets every first and third Monday of the month starting at 7:00 pm in the large conference room of the municipal building.
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