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Reasons To Keep Your Commercial Property Leaf-Free In Autumn

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Autumn leaves are gorgeous on the tree or when fluttering down to the ground, but after a few days, they stop being beautiful and become a nuisance. After a few more days, they may even become a liability, particularly on a commercial property where they can harm clients and staff. The following are the main reasons why fallen leaves must be cleaned up.

Pedestrian Safety

Safety is of paramount importance at any business, but innocuous-seeming leaves can undermine safety. Leaves on wet pathways become very slick, posing a slipping hazard. Deep piles of leaves can also camouflage other tripping hazards and lead to injury. It's best to always keep walkways clear and easy to navigate.

Landscape Health

Leaves aren't just hazardous to people, they are also hazardous to your landscaping. Piles of leaves can suffocate the grass or trap excessive moisture, both problems that lead to dead spots in your lawn. Leaves that get blown into border shrubs and flower beds aren't just unattractive, they also can become fungal repositories that spread disease. Even if disease isn't an issue, the leaves will act as mulch and kill your fall flowers.

Building Issues

Even short trees can damage your building. Leaf piles up against the walls of your business don't look nice, but they also trap moisture against the foundation and walls. Although foundation damages may not occur, this moisture leads to moss and mildew growth that will discolor the walls and make your building look grimy. It's even worse if the leaves blow up on the roof. Leaves clog gutters, which leads to water leaks. On flat roofs, the leaves can stay in place for months, trapping water and clogging integrated drainage systems. When a flat roof doesn't drain, the weight of collected water and snow can pose a risk of roof collapse.

Parking Lot Concerns

Not even your parking lot is safe from a heavy covering of leaves. In fact, in many cases parking lots are exposed to the most leaves since trees are often planted in islands throughout a lot. The fallen leaves can become slippery hazards for vehicles in wet or icy weather. They also clog storm drains, which leads to pooling water and eventual pavement damage.

Although many leaves will be collected during normal maintenance visits from your landscaping service, scheduling a full fall cleanup is recommended for properties that feature a lot of trees. Contact someone about commercial landscape maintenance services to schedule a fall cleanup today. 


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