The Autumn Chore

As much as I love all things related to wood, stick making, wood carving, camp fires, etc. there is one thing I really could do with a little less of, leaves.

We have spent the last several days raking, blowing, shredding and composting leaves.

Our ash trees have lost all their leaves. Our pines have dropped their old needles. The red, silver & Norway maples are about 1/2 way defoliated. The red buds and linden are almost leafless now. The white oaks are just starting to drop their leaves and the red oaks will hang onto most of their leaves till spring then drop them en mass when the buds start to pop. Seems like from the end of October until the end of April we are constantly cleaning up leaves.

We used to burn them. I remember the smell of Autumn as the pleasant smell of burning leaves. No more though the county has banned the burning of leaves, they provide a leaf vac truck service now.

We do put some out for pick up but shred and compost the rest for our gardens, and the pine needles make an excellent decorative mulch for the flower beds.

I'm not complaining though I planted most of this forest myself over the last 25 years, and we didn't have this problem when most of them were saplings! I just wish they would get in sync and drop them a little more organized it would make for an easier task!

Mark