Should I rake my leaves? It might be more harmful than helpful. Here's why

Fall got you thinking about raking up those leaves that have fallen all over your yard?

Some experts have recommended for years now that we leave the leaves where they land and a new survey shows more Americans may be fighting the urge to rake and bag autumn's bounty.

A National Wildlife Federation survey of 1,500 people across the U.S. found that 90% percent of all respondents are willing to leave or repurpose the leaves in their yard to help the environment. If done correctly, leaving your leaves on the ground to decompose does have some environmental benefits, experts say.

“We’ve been promoting this idea of keeping your leaves on your property for the benefit of wildlife and to minimize carbon and methane pollution,” David Mizejewski from the National Wildlife Federation said.

They can help your trees and yard plants as well as the animals living in your yard. At the end of the day, it’s your choice to rake or not to rake your leaves. Here’s what to know.

Is not raking leaves good for the environment?

There are benefits and drawbacks, in making the annual choice to pick up the rake, Lou Meyer, a business developer for The Davey Tree Expert Company’s mid-Atlantic region, told USA TODAY.

If you do choose to leave your leaves in your yard, they won't end up in a landfill. Although some municipalities vacuum leaves and compost them, the majority don't, according to Meyer. Leaves that do end up in a landfill end up doing more harm than good.

“They take up space in landfills. Landfills have finite space,” Meyer said.

How can leaves help my yard?

Apart from returning nutrients to the soil, leaves can also be a home for various creatures, especially in the wintertime when they need a place to stay.

“A lot of pollinators spend the winter in your leaves. If you think of caterpillars which turn into moths or butterflies,” Meyer said.

Leaves that decompose return nutrients to the soil, as they break down, they become food for trees, and the nutrients and carbon return to the soil to help create new leaves in the following years.

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, Meyer said.

There is one time you should rake your leaves

There is one scenario where raking your leaves is a must, Meyer said: When the leaves in your yard are diseased.

If the leaves are left to decompose, the diseases they carry will be passed on to the new leaves in the spring, damaging the tree the leaves came from.

Meyer recommends people unsure about their leaves' health to contact an arborist, which typically offers services to assess those diseases.

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_.