I apologize if I am posting this message in a strictly scientific discussion
arena. This information I seek deals with legislative initiatives on a very
local level.
I reside in a community that has an abundance of large trees. Most homes are
on an acre, and most home owners have many big trees. Maples, oaks, and elms
are probably the most common. The community is located in a northern suburb
of Chicago, IL, so we don't get as much sun as most areas of the country.
There is a local initiative pending to ban the burning of leaves. The
community has no resources to offer any alternatives to burning such as
curbside pickup. Most of the residents perform a combination of mulching and
burning every fall to dispose of the leaves. It is suspected by some that a
total ban on leaf burning will lead at least a few people to removing some of
their larger trees in order to reduce the burden of leaf disposal, or possibly
replace them with coniferous trees.
I would like to know if there is any information comparing the benefit of a
tree's photosynthesis during the course of its growing (leafy) season relative
to the negative impact of burning its leaves seasonally.
I would also like to know how coniferous trees compare with deciduous trees in
terms of their capacity to perform photosynthesis.
Any assistance would be most appreciated.
Thank you,
Paul Odom
Hawthorn Woods, IL
(pochi76 at aol.com)
