There orange glow from the fall foliage frames the covered bridge along the walking path at Alley Park on October 24, 2024, in Lancaster, Ohio.

The calendar has flipped from August to September, meaning fall is almost here and the leaves on your trees will soon begin to, well, fall.

Experts for years have recommended that we leave the leaves where they land, and a survey of 1,500 people across the U.S. conducted in 2024 by the National Wildlife Federation found that 90% of all respondents were willing to leave or repurpose the leaves in their yard to help the environment.

According to the NWF, leaving the leaves can offer a lot of benefits for wildlife and your garden. At the end of the day, whether to collect the leaves in your yard is up to each individual. Here's what you should know before making that decision.

How can leaves help my yard?

Leaves have nutrients that can be recycled into your lawn, according to a 2023 article from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's horticulture department.

"If you have just a few leaves, such as 20% of the lawn covered, you can just ignore them," the department states. "They will blow around, settle in, and break down on their own."

Even if you have a moderate amount of leaves, such as 50% coverage, you still don't need to rake, but it might be a good idea to run your lawn mower over them to chop them into smaller pieces so they can settle between grass blades, where they will decompose over time and release nutrients for your lawn to use next year.

If you have a thick layer of leaves where you can barely see any signs of grass beneath them, it is best to remove some of the leaves to prevent matting and smothering of the grass, according to the department. "Rake or otherwise remove at least half of them," the article states.

Can I mow my leaves instead of raking them?

It depends mostly on how many trees you have in your yard. If you have a small amount of leaves in your yard, shredding them with a lawnmower allows them to more quickly decompose and be absorbed into the soil.

But if you have many trees in your yard with a lot of leaves, it might be a better idea to gather all of the leaves in one place to decompose. If you try to mow too many leaves at once, the mower might be taxed and be unable to properly shred the leaves, Lou Meyer, a business developer for the Davey Tree Expert Company’s mid-Atlantic region, previously told USA TODAY.

The NWF recommends avoiding gasoline-powered lawnmowers and leaf blowers, if at all possible, since they are big producers of air pollution.

You should rake your leaves in this one scenario

The one scenario where you should pick up the leaves in your yard is if your trees have had serious foliar fungal diseases, according to UW-Madison.

"While most leaf spots on leaves are cosmetic and harmless to the overall health of the tree, fallen diseased leaves do serve as a source for spores that can infect next year's emerging leaves," the horticulture department said.

Significantly diseased leaves should be raked and removed from the area and disposed of properly, such as by burying, burning where allowed, or hot composting, according to UW-Madison.

Avoid throwing leaves in the trash if possible

The NWF says if you do decide to get rid of your leaves, don't throw them in the trash.

The foundation says over 12% of municipal solid waste is fallen leaves, grass clippings and other yard waste, with over 10 million tons of it buried in landfills each year, where it breaks down in anaerobic conditions and produces methane.

The NWF website says methane is 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in our atmosphere and landfills are the third biggest source of methane pollution in the U.S.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stop raking your leaves, experts say. Here's why.

Reporting by Gabe Hauari and Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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