Autumn? or Winter?

Wondering....

What would happen if you left the
leaves on the ground in the fall...
for the snow to rot and dissolve like
mother nature does? After all who is
raking up the leaves in the forest?
Who is munching the lawns of the
forest?

I don't have trees that shed. I only
have one tree which is of the cedar/fir
family. That is the way the King wants it.
We had a small tree here when we
moved in. But the King dug it up and
donated it to our daughter who has it
now. It is a willow of some sort.

But what does happen in the forest?
Why is mankind determine to rake
and munch the leaves? Doesn't mother
nature have them fall for a reason?
Doesn't it protect the ground?
Just wondering.

And we have skier's delight... Snow
in the mountains... winter is closing
in on us...