Why You Shouldn’t Rake Your Leaves This Fall

With fall steadily approaching, there’s something you ought to know: you don’t have to wage war on your leaves. It turns out, most can stay put to feed your lawn and shelter wildlife, and a 2024 National Wildlife Federation survey says 90% of folks are on board. Light or moderate leaf coverage? Mulch them with a mower so they decompose and return nutrients; only thin a thick, smothering layer of the grass disappears underneath it. One exception to this rule is that if your trees have had serious foliar fungal issues, rake and properly dispose of those diseased leaves (bury, burn where legal, or hot compost). And if at all possible, please skip the trash; yard waste dumps over 10-million tons into landfills each year, fueling methane that’s far more heat-trapping than CO₂, so choose mulching, composting, or leaf piles instead.