Every autumn we revel in the beauty of the fall colors ... The needle- or scale-like leaves remain green or greenish the year round, and individual leaves may stay on for two to four or more years.

But for trees in urban areas, all of those leaves can create big problems for local water systems. Leaves that fall in nature are often left on the ground and naturally decompose into the soil.

It’s autumn, and that means the leaves on the ... cut down and cannot uptake water anymore. As the tree loses water, the leaves, or needles, become unable to create food anymore, so they fall ...