Deciduous trees have adapted to dealing with some accumulation of leaves,
and in fact befit form the reduced competition that derives from leaf fall
in forests.

The practice of suffocating the landscape with artificial concentrations of
leaves has ramifications to which native trees are not necessarily adapted:
Increased rot at the root collar; girdling of smaller trees by rodents
living in the warm, decaying piles; anoxia of the soil as the leaves turn to
snotty slime ( in some cases);changes in soil pH not usual for woodland
settings; binding of nitrogen d=from the soil as decay of all the carbon in
the leaves drains local resources, etc.

In short...usually not a good thing. Your neighbors should mimic nature
more. When was the last time you noticed leaves naturally heaping themselves
into volcanoes about trees??

ML

--
Mike LaMana, MS, CTE
Heartwood Consulting Services, LLC
Toms River, NJ
www.HeartwoodConsulting.net




"Will Renkel" wrote in message
...

I have several neighbors who are piling their leaves around
the base of their trees. The piles are about 2 feet high
and about 4-5 feet out from the base of the tree.
Can someone enlighten me on the pros / cons of such a process?
I would think it could kill the grass.

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Will Renkel
Wheaton, Ill.
REGISTERD Linux User: 300583

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