McGill University
OP-9: Landscape Management

Data above exclude:
- Experimental agricultural land on Mac Campus excluded (110 hectares)
- Sloped areas with wild trees thicket almost impenetrable at the outskirt of some of Downtown Campus boundaries.
- Gault Estate (1,000 ha), Molson Nature Reserve (51 ha), and Morgan Arboretum (245 ha)

Almost no chemical-based landscape management practices are used. Chemical rodenticide bait boxes are used outdoors around buildings when necessary as per the IPM plan. Also, inorganic fertilizer is used in hanging plant baskets because organic methods proved unsuccessful. These two exceptions are very minimal in area and otherwise no pesticides or herbicides are used on the campus. It is also worth noting that some Ash trees were treated for the Emerald Ash Borer with an organically based treatment product (made from Neem tree extract) injected directly into trees with no leakage. This product is considered to be of low environmental impact.

Dead leaves are collected in the fall for composting, and then spread onto campus green spaces once composted. Organic fertilizer is also used once in spring for planting flowers. Sometimes Mycorrhizae is used to plant new trees. No chemical pesticides or herbicides are ever used on the campus.

Undeveloped land includes our protected territories: Gault Estate (1,000 ha), Molson Nature Reserve (51 ha), and Morgan Arboretum (245 ha). See OP-10 for more details about these properties.

McGill uses native plants where feasible for growth, considering the urban conditions and proximity to Montreal's Mount Royal, a protected heritage zone with stringent regulations.

Over 200 varieties of trees and shrubs were planted on the downtown campus in 2010 alone; many trees and shrubs at Macdonald Campus have been planted to attract wildlife.

McGill has replaced balding grass underneath trees with some native and perennial ground cover plantings that attract wildlife. The landscaping in front of the Faculty of Management is mainly of native plant species (such as trillium) and evokes the feeling of a walk in the woods; its small bushes shelter sparrows and other fauna.

McGill also has a butterfly & scent garden on the MacDonald Campus behind the eco-residences, and an alpine garden in front of Bishop Mountain Dining Hall containing small pines, craggy rock, and low creeping flowers.

Source: http://publications.mcgill.ca/mcgillnews/2014/07/07/an-oasis-of-green/

Rainwater collected from the catchment in the McLennan basement is used for watering and washing using an outlet from the Redpath basement.

Following funding from the Sustainability Projects Fund, Grounds staff have a wood chipper that is used to process green waste (leaves and branches) on site. Grass trimmings are left on the sod to decompose naturally.

As outlined in McGill green building standards, minimum LEED performance standards include a focus on reducing heat islands on site such as to have not only the structure be sustainable, but its surrounding environment as well.
Source: https://www.mcgill.ca/buildings/files/buildings/mcgill_green_build_standards.pdf
Refer to table of "McGill minimum required credits"

The McGill Grounds Services team provides support to gardening group who uses some allocated campus space to grow plants for human consumption, such as herbs, vegetables, fruits etc.

McGill's Grounds and Procurement departments are working together currently to create an IPM plan for McGill, as a part of McGill's newly revised Green Building Standards (http://www.mcgill.ca/buildings/files/buildings/mcgill_green_build_standards.pdf) that will use LEED as a framework for maintenance of grounds surrounding buildings on campus.