Fall cleanup and leaf removal in Gorham, Maine.

The Maine Forest Service warns that fallen autumn leaves may carry toxic browntail moth hairs, and it advises against running leaf blowers and mowers on dry days in heavily infested areas and suggests doing yard work when things are damp. Where oaks on a lot show the small, tightly woven winter webs at branch tips, the cleanup plan accounts for that.

Timing matters too. Maples tend to drop first and oaks hold their leaves well into November, so a single pass rarely catches everything. Perennials are cut back once they have gone brown, and the final mow is set a little lower than summer height so the lawn does not go into snow long and matted. On lots backing onto the Tree Growth woodlots, the goal is a clean line where lawn meets forest floor, with leaves pulled out of the grass rather than off the woods.