Smart Leaf Decay
by Albt1ska
Smart Leaf Decay removes the leaves of a chopped tree at once, so players do not wait for natural decay to clear a site.
What it does
When a player breaks the bottom log of a tree, leaf blocks connected to that trunk within the natural decay radius are removed straight away. The removal follows the same pattern vanilla leaf decay uses, but skips the long wait for leaves to fall away one by one. Leaves that would have floated for minutes are gone as soon as the wood is cut.
The mod is aimed at large-scale logging, dense forests and building projects where stray foliage piles up. Fewer leaf blocks have to be rendered, which the author notes can help lower lag and raise frame rates in heavily forested areas. Once installed, the behavior needs no settings and no commands to learn.
Smart Leaf Decay is published for Forge only, with 16 release versions and the latest file, 1.0.0, targeting 1.19.4. It is server-side only, so players join without installing it, and it is released under the MIT License but is not open source.
Key features
Instant leaf removal
Leaves connected to a felled tree are cleared immediately instead of decaying over time.
Reduced rendered blocks
Removing floating leaves lowers the number of blocks the game has to draw in dense forests.
Tidier landscape
Floating foliage does not accumulate after logging, which keeps cleared areas neat for building.
Zero configuration
The behavior works without settings, options or commands once the mod is installed on the server.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
1.19.x5 of 5 versions with builds
1.18.x3 of 3 versions with builds
1.17.x2 of 2 versions with builds
1.16.x6 of 6 versions with builds
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Large-scale logging
Clearing a forest for timber or a farm removes the canopy with the trunks instead of leaving leaves to fall for minutes.
Preparing building sites
Builders can cut trees on a plot and start construction without waiting for the leftover foliage to disappear.
Who it’s for: Server owners who want cleared forests to stay tidy, and players who log large areas or build on land recently covered by trees.
How it compares
Rapid Leaf Decay is a Forge and NeoForge mod for 1.17.1 – 26.3, server-side only and under All rights reserved, so it is not open source. Fast Leaf Decay is a Fabric mod for 1.19 – 1.19.2, server-side only, licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 only and not open source. Smart Leaf Decay is a Forge-only option that is also server-side only under the MIT License.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smart Leaf Decay | Forge | 1.16 – 1.19.4 | Server-side only | 2026-01-17 |
| Rapid Leaf Decay | Forge and NeoForge | 1.17.1 – 26.3 | Server-side only | 2026-10-10 |
| Fast Leaf Decay | Fabric | 1.19 – 1.19.2 | Server-side only | 2022-08-30 |
Questions
Does Smart Leaf Decay need to be installed on the client?
Which loader does Smart Leaf Decay support?
Are there settings to adjust the leaf removal?
More from Albt1ska
What the author says
This mod automatically removes leaf blocks after you chop down a tree, instantly clearing the area. No more waiting for natural decay or manually cleaning up floating foliage—keep your inventory and world tidy. Boosts Performance: Reduces the number of rendered blocks, helping to decrease lag and increase FPS…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/smart-leaf-decay
- Owner
- Albt1ska
- Published
- 2026-01-17
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-01-17
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15