What happens to Autumn leaves when they fall?

Needles and leaves that fall from trees are a vital part of our ecosystem. Once the leaves have fallen, they begin to decompose and provide the soil with essential nutrients and also help make up a layer on the forest floor that absorbs and holds rainfall. These fallen leaves also become food for many soil organisms that are vital to the overall health of the forest. The shedding of the leaves is hugely Important to the individual tree but also to the overall health of our forests. The forest would not survive without its annual replenishment of fallen leaves and the individual tree could not survive without shedding these leaves. This is just one example of many of the beautiful interconnectedness of our environment.