Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 51.18
Liaison Joseph Kahn
Submission Date April 20, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Central Michigan University
OP-9: Landscape Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.41 / 2.00 John Byers
Pest Management Specialist
Office of Residence Life
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total campus area (i.e. the total amount of land within the institutional boundary):
1,608.79 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 0 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 331 Acres
Area managed using conventional landscape management practices (which may include some IPM principles or techniques) 1,277.79 Acres
Total area of managed grounds 1,608.79 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):
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Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an IPM program:
0

A copy of the IPM plan or program:
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A brief description of the IPM program:
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Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an organic program:
20.57

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:

Central Michigan University has several locations where students gain hands on experience working in natural environments. These space include (in this report), but are not limited to, Veits Woods, Neithercutt Retreat Area, and Miller's Marsh. These areas are natural habitats to many different flora and fauna. For this reason, CMU takes an organic approach to managing and maintaining these areas.

CMU uses no chemicals to maintain these areas. Instead, faculty and student-led groups will mechanically remove invasive species. These cumulative efforts have resulted in the near-eradication of the Russian Olive & Autumn Olive from Veits Woods, as well as from a portion of Neithercutt.

Additionally, CMU landscaping personnel use mechanical means to groom trails and thin underbrush. These practices lead to nicely maintained natural areas wildfire prevention. Student led research provides water quality assessments, biodiversity assessments, as well as recommendations for necessary rehabilitation and/or restoration to habitats that are in need.


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

Central Michigan University has a unique composting program. Food waste, as well as other compostable waste that is generated on campus is shipped to Morgan's Composting, home of Dairy Doo. There, all organic waste is converted into compost. The compost created is compiled of a custom recipe that fulfills the needs of our grounds. Soil samples are taken to determine these needs. Once the mixture is full composted and ready, Central Michigan University buys back the compost to utilize in grounds maintenance work. This performance year alone, CMU composted almost 600,000 pounds of organic materials that , otherwise, would have ended up in a landfill!


A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:
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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):
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.