Babson College
OP-9: Landscape Management

Protected land within managed areas of campus: 33 acres Buildings footprint: 22 acres Undeveloped and peripheral land: 196 acres

Practices used for "Area managed using conventional landscape management practices (which may include some IPM principles or techniques)": Procedures The campus grounds are monitored regularly by our in house grounds staff who are instructed to report issues to the Supervisor of Grounds Operations. The Supervisor will visually inspect campus and those items reported to him regularly to determine if further action is necessary. If he determines this is the case he will review the issue with the Assistant Director of Grounds, Building Services and Sustainability to determine appropriate actions to take. If chemical means are deemed necessary, the product with the least harmful effects to the environment will be selected. Cultural Practices and Preventative Measures - Where chronic pest problems have occurred on a historical basis, preventative measures including chemical applications may be used to prevent damage that will be both unsightly and costly to repair. - Dormant oils and non-chemical means are used to manage insects at acceptable levels on high quality/visibility ornamental plantings. - Soil fertility in lawn areas is maintained with an organic approach to maintain turf vigor and to allow for natural defenses and recovery to pest and disease problems and to minimize the use of synthetic fertilizers. - High-quality lawns and fields are irrigated to maintain growth rate, appearance and recovery capabilities. - High-quality lawns and fields are aerated regularly to maintain vigor and natural pest defenses. - Turf seed is selected for repair and maintenance to have good recovery and wear tolerance characteristics. - Native trees and shrubs will be selected for future plantings on campus that are acclimated to the local climate. NOTE: The remaining acres of campus beyond the 145 are forested areas that are unmaintained

Town of Wellesley mandates that wetlands within the maintained area of campus and the wetland-buffer zones must be managed with organic practices and approved organic chemicals, including fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides.

Our practice is to review planting plans and to use native plants almost exclusively.

We are constrained by existing regulation to protect the wetlands on campus. All work that will affect the wetlands is reviewed by municipal wetlands management. We also have extensive infiltration systems across campus, as detailed in the rainwater management credit.

We collect grass clippings, wood chips, branches, leaves and other materials in concrete walled bins and have them cleaned out several times each year by a vendor who takes the materials to a composting site. We also have been placing outdoor recycling bins across campus as part of a multi-year program to pair all the trash bins with recycling bins.

We have an annual tree-planting event and have planted trees on the south and west sides of a residence hall with high sun exposure to provide shade and privacy.

We have been using liquid products (not salt) for several years now to improve performance for ice melting. On occasion roads and parking lots will be pre-treated with liquid anti icing agents to minimize plowing time and the need for salt applications. We also have no-salt areas near the wetlands. We have changed salt application hardware to provide a more accurate and targeted amount of salt, which has reduced overall usage.