| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 58.55 |
| Liaison | Amy Brunvand |
| Submission Date | April 5, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Utah
OP-9: Landscape Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 2.00 |
Amy
Brunvand Librarian Office of Sustainability |
Total campus area (i.e. the total amount of land within the institutional boundary):
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 | 221.12 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) | 0 Acres |
| Total area of managed grounds | 221.12 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):
The Landscape Maintenance Department manages 221.12 acres, which excludes, building footprint areas, paved parking areas, and a large conservation easement adjacent to campus that is not actively maintained.
Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an IPM program:
A copy of the IPM plan or program:
A brief description of the IPM program:
The Supervisor of Landscape Maintenance, Lisa McCarrel has been trained in IPM, and her department follows the following best practices:
· Thresholds: Chemicals are only used in the landscape as a last resort if the economic value of the landscape is jeopardized or if there is a perceived threat to human health and safety.
· Pest populations are monitored through visual inspections.
· Prevention: The pest population is kept under control by removing excess debris and pruning to improve plant health. In addition, a housekeeping protocol under Plant Operations Janitorial department minimizes the need for pest control in the interior spaces.
· Control: When chemicals are required, their use is documented with standardized record-keeping and applied only according to the label and manufacturer’s instructions.
Recently, the Landscape Supervisor has made additions to the team that reflect our commitment to properly monitoring and addressing pest or disease concerns on campus; we now have an IPM Crew Lead and team who assist other team members in identifying pests and developing an appropriate response. We have added soil testing to our data collection as well.
Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an organic program:
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:
A brief description of the institution's approach to plant stewardship:
Native Species
One of the ways the U is reducing its outdoor water footprint is through planting native species and other drought-tolerant plants. Many desert plants can now be seen on campus, including Russian sage, sumac, rabbitbrush, yuccas, and Utah serviceberries, among others. In other parts of campus, turf grass has been removed in favor of mulch beds with groundcover and decorative shrubs. Mulch, a cheaper alternative to decorative rock, is placed on slopes that previously had both mowing and runoff issues.
Design Standards
SECTION 3.3.1 The Consultant is to specify drought resistant plants per the University of Utah Plant List herein, and as directed by the Landscape Maintenance Department.
SECTION 3.7 Tree Protection at Construction Sites
State Arboretum
The ‘U' campus, including Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, is part of the State Arboretum of Utah. The main campus includes over 12,000 trees, all of which are catalogued in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database created by Facilities Management.
A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:
Irrigation
Landscape Maintenance uses a high-tech weather-based approach to irrigation. A weather based irrigation system is able to track moisture lost or used on a daily basis. Landscape Maintenance restricts their watering window to 6:00 PM through 10:00 AM. In the Energy & Environmental Stewardship Initiative: 2010 Climate Action Plan, the University of Utah committed to achieving water neutrality–using only the equivalent amount of water that reaches the campus through rainfall annually–by 2020.
A brief description of the institution's approach to materials management and waste minimization (e.g. composting and/or mulching on-site waste):
Mulch
Mulch, a cheaper alternative to decorative rock, is placed on slopes that previously had both mowing and runoff issues. Landscaped areas using mulch include Rock Mulch w/ Plants (13.69 acres) and Bark Mulch w/ Plants (34.35 acres).
Composting
Leaves are recycled or composted, but the the University of Utah does not currently have the resources or space to enact a campus-wide composting
program.
A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:
The campus is in the process of creating a Landscaping Master Plan, which will become part of the Campus Master Plan. The new plan will include approaches to shade trees to reduce urban heat island effect, minimizing water use and waste, increasing opportunities for stormwater management, etc.
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):
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:
Types of Landscaping (square feet)
Grass: 7,075,799.76
Flowerbeds: 33,320.82
Meadow: 17,350.30
Rock Mulch w/ Plants: 596,461.2
Bark Mulch w/ Plants: 1,496,213.44
Treewell: 412,751.79
Total: 9,631,897.34 square feet
RESOURCES
Ross Chambless. Water Conservation. Continuum: The Magazine of the University of Utah (Summer 2012).
URL: http://continuum.utah.edu/features/water-conservation
Full-Scale Composting Feasibility Study. Cindy Morris, Office of Sustainability, (2011).
URL: https://content.lib.utah.edu/utils/getfile/collection/sustain/id/11/filename/15.pdf
Facilities Management Documents and Standards
URL: http://facilities.utah.edu/project-resources/
Types of Landscaping (square feet)
Grass: 7,075,799.76
Flowerbeds: 33,320.82
Meadow: 17,350.30
Rock Mulch w/ Plants: 596,461.2
Bark Mulch w/ Plants: 1,496,213.44
Treewell: 412,751.79
Total: 9,631,897.34 square feet
RESOURCES
Ross Chambless. Water Conservation. Continuum: The Magazine of the University of Utah (Summer 2012).
URL: http://continuum.utah.edu/features/water-conservation
Full-Scale Composting Feasibility Study. Cindy Morris, Office of Sustainability, (2011).
URL: https://content.lib.utah.edu/utils/getfile/collection/sustain/id/11/filename/15.pdf
Facilities Management Documents and Standards
URL: http://facilities.utah.edu/project-resources/
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.