Campus Leaf Removal: How it Works and Why it Matters

By Jennifer T. Allen 

Every fall, as more than 12,000 trees across the University of Kentucky's 800-acre main campus begin to shed their leaves, the UK Grounds team in Facilities Management shifts its focus. Leaf removal begins mid-October and continues into January. The team aims to collect the bulk of the leaves before winter break, but the season almost always extends into the new year. 

The first step is working to keep the leaves off the turf as much as possible so it doesn’t damage the grass around campus.  

“We have cool season grass on campus that does not go dormant,” said Corey Baker, UK Grounds supervisor. “When leaves sit on the grass, it kills it and then we’ll have a bigger problem come spring.”  

To protect the turf, the team uses leaf blowers to guide leaves into tree beds. From there, they shape them into piles large enough to be collected by leaf trucks. The trucks are equipped with mounted boxes and vacuums which suck up the accumulated piles. They are first transported to the UK Grounds Greenhouse storage facility and are then placed in dumpsters and delivered to UK’s C. Oran Little Research Center in Woodford County, a Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment farm, where they are turned into compost and used to enrich the soil. Some of the collected leaves also go to the UK Horticulture Research Farm to support research on crop fields. 

Although efficiency is key, the process isn’t without its challenges. Narrow spaces between buildings, unpredictable fall weather and the sheer volume of leaves — 40% of this year’s leaves fell over two days during the first cold snap — require constant coordination.  

“We work hard to gather and collect leaves the same day,” Baker said. “This year, we have added two new Ventrac tractors which have multiple attachments and are able to be used year-round. They have expedited leaf removal this year and help us keep up when major leaf drops occur. They can also get underneath vehicles and along curb lines.” 

The UK Grounds team strives to balance the ecological benefits of leaving leaves with campus safety and cleanliness. Leaving fallen leaves across campus creates safety hazards: they make steps and walkways slippery, clog storm drains and are easily tracked into buildings. 

“Leaves provide ecological benefits for a variety of animals and return nutrients to the soil, but we must balance that with safety for everyone on our campus, keeping our storm water pathways open, cleanliness inside buildings and damage to the turf,” Baker said. “We continue to explore ways and areas on campus where we can leave fallen leaves in place, especially on South campus.” 

Some members of the campus community have asked why rakes aren’t used more often, especially given the noise of leaf blowers. For a campus this large, rakes aren’t always practical, but the UK Grounds team is mindful of noise.  

“We use electric blowers when possible and avoid work near residence halls before 9 a.m.,” Baker said. “We also observe a quiet period during finals week when leaf blowers and heavy machinery are paused.”