California State University, Northridge
OP-9: Landscape Management

Our campus food gardens are managed organically - however the majority of the campus still spot treats with chemicals. The garden relies on student employees and volunteers for weeding and pest control, and practices companion planting and crop rotation to maximize soil nutrients and food production. Volunteers at the garden learn about organic food production and the importance of sustainable food systems.

CSUN's IPM applies to all interior spaces in the building and all portions of the site and grounds for the California State University, Northridge Campus. This plan will be consulted prior to taking action on pest management in the building or on the building grounds. Pests include plants or animals that are detrimental to the property, a nuisance to building occupants, or unwanted on the building grounds for other reasons.

CSUN's IPM follows the industry standard 4 tier approach including:

Setting action thresholds
- Regular treatment includes the use of first non-chemical controls (sanitation, exclusion, traps using non-chemical baits), followed by the use of least-toxic control methods if the situation is not resolved, and then non-least toxic control methods if the situation is still not resolved.
Emergency treatment includes the use of the most effective control method as a first step, which may be non-least toxic.
(Additional information can be found in the attached IPM)

Monitoring and identifying pests
- The building interior and exterior will be periodically inspected for the presence of pests and preventive measures will be taken to avoid pests. If any pests are detected, integrated (nonchemical) methods will be implemented as the first control step, including sanitation measures, exclusion measures, and the use of traps.
(Additional information can be found in the attached IPM)

Prevention
- Sanitation: Potential food and water sources available to pests will be evaluated and minimized or eliminated. This can be done by thoroughly cleaning and maintaining food service areas and break rooms, fixing leaking pipes and faucets, and altering landscape features to eliminate standing water.
Exclusion: Cracks, crevices, and holes in the building envelope will be sealed. A barrier will be placed in between the building and the adjacent landscape such that the landscape is at least 18 inches from the building.
(Additional information can be found in the attached IPM)

Control
- All pest control activity, including inspections, will be recorded in the IPM tracking tool. The following items will be tracked:
- Pest type and name
- Pest population density and monitoring frequency
- Pest action threshold observed
- Prevention measures implemented
- Product applied (name)
- Toxicity of the product (the tier level as determined by San Francisco’s Pesticide Hazard Screening List”
- Date and time of product application (if applicable)
- Date and time of occupant notification (if applicable)
- Emergency application? (Y/N). If yes, an explanation of the emergency will be included.
(Additional information can be found in the attached IPM)

CSUN continues to remove water-intensive vegetation and replace with native and drought tolerant species. This is being done throughout the campus in an effort to meet our mandated water conservation goals.

CSUN has implemented several water capture designs in recent landscaping efforts. Curb cuts along parking lots allow water to drain into landscaped channels similar to bioswales to allow for the water to be absorbed by the ground, rather than go into the city's storm drain system. Each year, CSUN also removes 10-30,000 square feet of turf grass, which is replaced with drought-tolerant non-invasive species. These species provide food and habitat for pollinators while also reducing landscape water needs.

CSUN operates its own campus green waste composting center, which processes all landscaping waste from the main campus with the exception of waste from contracted tree trimming activities. Green waste is transported to the facility, where it is chipped and moved into windrows to break down. It is turned occasionally before being sifted into finished compost and mulch, which are spread on lawns as a fertilizer and in planters to prevent weed growth, respectively.