Middlebury College
OP-10: Landscape Management

Our main campus is managed using principles espoused by IPM. For over fifteen years, Middlebury’s landscape program has been moving in the direction of becoming as organic and pesticide-free as possible given time and resource considerations. The College has intentionally greatly reduced our use of pesticides on campus, and is committed to continuing that trend with a philosophy on the main campus that chemicals be used only as a last resort. The College subscribes to the Integrated Pest Management approach to plant pest control. This entails the limiting of vectors for infestation and growth and includes planting resistant species, limiting monocultures, limiting the introduction of pests, and generally providing for a healthy horticultural environment. When pesticides must be applied to protect the campus beauty or the safety of students, the College employs the least toxic chemicals sufficient to meet the need.

The Middlebury College Campus Master Plan lists as the first two goals 1. Promote Sustainablitily in All College Operations, and 2. Enhance Middlebury’s relationship to the landscape. These two principals guide all of the planning and development at Middlebury, as well as the landscape operations.

Our selection of plant material in new landscape projects is guided by the campus Master Plan, which states: “The diversity of plant species on campus should be increased. Where possible, native plants from the Clayplain Forest, the Transition Hardwood Limestone Forest, and the Oak-Hickory-Hophornbeam Forest palettes should be utilized. These should be supplemented with additional species as appropriate for specific soil conditions and environmental stresses. Invasive introduced species should be avoided. To ensure variety and disease resistance, no more than 30% of trees on the campus should be from one family, no more than 20% should be from one genus, and no more than 10% should be from one species.” Invasive species are not planted on campus, and, where practical, removed from the landscape and natural areas.

We mix our food waste (1 part) with woodchips (3 parts) and horse manure (1 part). Horse manure we acquire from the UVM's Morgan Horse farm for the purpose of composting. Our campus landscape debris is chipped for use in composting. We do end up purchasing wood chips occasionally.

Our generated compost is spread both on campus proper as well as the athletic fields, and has greatly reduced the need for fertilizer inputs as well as reducing soil compaction. Lawn fertilizers are only used on campus grounds for new seeding establishment, and on the athletic fields on a prescriptive basis. No phosphorus is used in the fertilizer blends.

Locally grown plant material is used for landscape planting, and fertilizers used are blended by a local firm. The majority of plantings consist of native plants to the northeast.

Many areas of the campus utilize bio-retention ponds, swales, rain gardens, and a green roof on a dining hall. The no-mow zones on campus have also proven to be more effective in lessening storm water runoff than the previous lawn. Rain gardens and a green roof were utilized in the construction of the new Squash Center, as well as a green roof on the newest Solar Decathlon house. The campus also has several protected wetlands below campus.

Middlebury College strives to be truly sustainable in snow and ice treatment and removal, not only from an environmental standpoint, but from and economic and social standpoint as well. We have been using a pretreatment of a liquid material called Ice Ban to limit the use of both fuel and ice melters during a snow event. We’ve also recently switched from using salt-treated sand to an ice melter. This material is a treated salt that will aid in the melting of snow and ice on sidewalks. The treated material is less corrosive than untreated salt and works at lower temperatures. The use of the snow melt material will provide cleaner sidewalks and roads making for safer travel conditions. Studies show that there is a net environmental benefit to using treated salt compared to sand with salt when used properly. Sand has negative impacts to the environment. These include increased phosphorus loading in adjacent waterways, sedimentation buildup in catch basins, ditches and streams and air pollution issues with particulates becoming airborne. Use of salt will reduce the use of mechanical equipment on Campus, limiting fuel consumption, and less sand use will reduce the amount of spring cleaning necessary to collect residual material.

Middlebury College has a variety of locations that contain class 3 wetlands.