I’m in the middle of something big and exciting and so of course not publishing for the last couple of weeks… it’s coming, I just haven’t had time to edit. So wait for that–there will be a big announcement by the end of the month.

I wanted to share this research because it underscores that how one gardens impacts the planet.

“A recent study by University of Maryland researcher Max Ferlauto found that in places where people historically have left their fallen leaves to decompose, without removing them, the soil holds up to 32% more carbon on average. That may seem like a drop in the bucket, but if every lawn adds a drop, the bucket fills quickly. The EPA estimates that 35 million tons of grass clippings and fallen leaves are removed annually from urban and suburban landscapes. Scientists have estimated that in Minneapolis, MN, 11% of residential carbon output is due to yard waste removal, and in Boston, MA, about half the carbon that falls to the ground as leaves is removed from the city.” Here’s the link to the press release, and I encourage you to read the full paper (and here’s the citation for that: The research paper, “Legacy effects of long-term autumn leaf litter removal slow decomposition rates and reduce soil carbon in suburban yards,” was published February 22, 2024, in the journal Plants, People, Planet. Co-authors of the paper included Assistant Professor Karin Burghardt and post doctoral associate Lauren Schmitt, both in the Department of Entomology at UMD.)

In case you need it explained… up to 32% more carbon is significant. If your current soil organic matter is 3%, that could mean an extra 1% OM, at a rate of around 11,000 pounds of carbon/acre. If you have a typical quarter acre lot for a single family home, that’s in excess of one ton of carbon storage for doing absolutely nothing.