Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 63.29
Liaison Samuel Crowl
Submission Date Feb. 20, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Ohio University
OP-9: Landscape Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.96 / 2.00 Elaine Goetz
Director of Energy Management
Facilities Management & Safety
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total campus area (i.e. the total amount of land within the institutional boundary):
2,137.40 Acres

Figures required to calculate the total area of managed grounds:
Area (double-counting is not allowed)
Area managed in accordance with an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program that uses a four-tiered approach 472 Acres
Area managed in accordance with an organic land care standard or sustainable landscape management program that has eliminated the use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides in favor of ecologically preferable materials 0 Acres
Area managed using conventional landscape management practices (which may include some IPM principles or techniques) 22 Acres
Total area of managed grounds 494 Acres

A brief description of any land excluded from the area of managed grounds (e.g. the footprint of buildings and impervious surfaces, experimental agricultural land, areas that are not regularly managed or maintained):

Building footprints and impervious surfaces are excluded from the areas above; data reported is estimated. Also excluded are minimally managed lands such as protected (Land Lab) and forested areas.


Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an IPM program:
95.55

A copy of the IPM plan or program:
---

A brief description of the IPM program:

The Grounds Department and the Office of Sustainability are in the process of developing an IPM plan for 2018.


Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an organic program:
0

A brief description of the organic land standard or landscape management program that has eliminated the use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides in favor of ecologically preferable materials:

Ohio University became a Tree Campus USA in December 2016, and created a landscape and tree care plan for the Tree Campus application. The plan favors IPM principles and the landscape coordinator estimates that more than 85% of campus grounds are maintained using IPM principles. The next step is to create the actual IPM plan.

Organically managed grounds at Ohio University include the two Ridges cemeteries, the West State prairie fields and the Plant Biology Learning Gardens.


A brief description of the institution's approach to plant stewardship:

Campus grounds plants both native and adaptive, drought tolerant, low maintenance plants throughout campus. Particular emphasis is placed on preservation of canopy cover to mitigate heat island effect, provide carbon sequestration, and to clean and absorb storm water. In locations where exclusive native plantings occur, signage is offered to educate passersby. Invasive species are controlled by hand removal, mechanical removal and follow-up chemical treatment if necessary with attention to species flowering cycles and timing of seed production.


A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:

A stream restoration project initiated by the City of Athens on a stream flowing through university property utilized university personnel to design stream reconstruction, recreating the natural structure and outlining plant specs/ planting procedures. Project involved invasive species removal and replanting of natives. University has committed to monitor and remove adjacent invasive plant populations.


A brief description of the institution's approach to materials management and waste minimization (e.g. composting and/or mulching on-site waste):

All landscape waste (from Athens campus) is sent to Ohio University's Class IV compost facility located on Dairy Lane on the Athens campus. This is an open air system. A portion of the landscape waste is turned into wood chips and sent for use as a bulking agent in the Class II, in-vessel system. Wood chips from campus tree maintenance are also used on campus pedestrian paths and in secondary landscape beds. Purchased mulch is a ground hardwood bark harvested from temperate zone trees. Plants are routinely transplanted to new locations when displaced by building renovations or new construction.


A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:
---

A brief description of other sustainable landscape management practices employed by the institution (e.g. use of environmentally preferable landscaping materials, initiatives to reduce the impacts of ice and snow removal, wildfire prevention):

New salt spreaders were purchased by Grounds Dept enabling more control over quantity of salt applied to sidewalks compared to spreaders that were previously used. Product called Puremelt (a proprietary formula) is used on all concrete surfaces under 2 years old to minimize salt damage to concrete.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
---

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Note (4/6/18, ERG for Susan Calhoun): Though 10 acres of land on campus is intentionally managed (mowing only) as organic land without use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides, we do not have "organic land care standard program" documentation. Therefore we are removing the 10 acres of land from the organically managed category and placing it back in the IPM category.

We utilized figures provided by University Planning and Space Management to calculate total campus area. From these figures we removed impervious surfaces (buildings and hardscape), and minimally managed lands to arrive at a strict definition of actively managed grounds.

Actively conventionally managed grounds are athletic fields (soccer, softball, baseball, golfcourse greens, tees and fairway, driving range greens and tee, and football practice field).

Data provided by Susan Calhoun.


Note (4/6/18, ERG for Susan Calhoun): Though 10 acres of land on campus is intentionally managed (mowing only) as organic land without use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides, we do not have "organic land care standard program" documentation. Therefore we are removing the 10 acres of land from the organically managed category and placing it back in the IPM category.

We utilized figures provided by University Planning and Space Management to calculate total campus area. From these figures we removed impervious surfaces (buildings and hardscape), and minimally managed lands to arrive at a strict definition of actively managed grounds.

Actively conventionally managed grounds are athletic fields (soccer, softball, baseball, golfcourse greens, tees and fairway, driving range greens and tee, and football practice field).

Data provided by Susan Calhoun.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.