Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 49.13
Liaison Michael Kensler
Submission Date Jan. 15, 2013
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.2

Auburn University
OP-T2-20: Wildlife Habitat

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.25 / 0.25 Dee Smith
Curator of Arboretum
Donald E. Davis Arboretum
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have programs in place to protect and/or create wildlife habitat on institution-owned land?:
Yes

A brief description of the wildlife habitat program, policy, or practice:

The 13.5 acre Davis Arboretum displays plants growing in the special habitats that exist in the state of Alabama, such as rocky hillsides, stream bottoms, pond edges, salt-spray influenced sand dunes, pitcher plant bogs, and the alkaline soil of the Black Belt Prairie. The management philosophy in the arboretum is to allow and encourage native species and habitats, while eliminating or controlling species that are invasive.

The School of Forestry & Wildlife Sciences (SFWS) has multiple projects on campus to re-establish longleaf pines, once the most common native conifer in the state. These stands are enhancing habitat creation for songbirds and herptiles, and are used by faculty in several departments and colleges for teaching.

SFWS is working with Landscape Services to remove/control the non-native and other off-site understory in an old-growth (200+years) longleaf pine area on campus through a grinding/mulching operation and herbicide. This work should improve forest structure, benefit the old growth trees and improved habitat creation for songbirds and herptiles specifically. It will also improve the area around the “Bat House” with hope that it will be used again by bats. The site is currently used by faculty for courses in SFWS and the College of Science and Mathematics (COSAM).


The website URL where information about the program, policy, or practice is available:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.