The 2011 Leaf Harvest

By Brighton West

It’s that time of year again when nature turns our trees into an amazing artist’s palette, then drops the leaves to let the winter sun through. What a gift from nature—sun and nutrients needed by our spring flowers.

Friends of Trees will launch a new website on November 1: www.PortlandLeafHarvest.com. The web site will help you harvest your leaves in many different ways. You can leave them in your garden beds, put them in your compost bin, place them in your yard waste bin, and in certain areas—Portland’s Leaf Districts—just rake them into the street for the city to scoop up.

Residents of Portland’s Leaf Districts are billed $15 to $30 because the city needs to spend extra time clearing the streets in these well-canopied neighborhoods. It’s a great deal if you have a lot of leaves and you don’t want to keep them on site. Click here to see if you are lucky enough to be in a Leaf District.

–West is Program Director for Friends of Trees.