Park workers face challenges with late leaf drop in Kotka, Finland

In Kotka, workers in the parks department are eagerly awaiting the fall of leaves from trees. Typically, by this time of year, leaves are fully on the ground, but this is the second consecutive year where this is not the case. The prolonged presence of leaves on trees is complicating the workload for these employees.

Two-thirds of the park workers are seasonal staff, who will leave their positions by the end of October. “We are in a bit of a predicament if the leaves don’t come down before the end of October,” says Satu Ylämäki, the supervisor of Kotka’s park services.

According to the Natural Resources Institute, the late leaf drop is likely due to a warm autumn. Professor Anne Tolvanen explains that while leaves are still yellow, the trees have prepared for winter by absorbing necessary nutrients. She clarifies that trees respond to changes in light rather than temperature when gearing up for winter.

If snow covers the ground before the leaves are cleaned up, they will become a job for the next spring in Kotka. Leaves left on the ground beneath snow can harm the grass, potentially causing fungal diseases. To mitigate this, Tolvanen suggests mowing the leaves, which can turn them into fertilizer.

Ylämäki shares that park workers utilize various methods for leaf collection. They can attach collection devices to lawn mowers, and also use sweepers and leaf vacuums. Although much of the work is machine-assisted, some areas still require manual raking.

A particular challenge for workers is managing maple leaves, which can clog machinery, especially when wet. However, Ylämäki notes that the autumn this year has not been particularly rainy, making it easier to handle this issue in Kotka.