Ohio University
OP-9: Landscape Management

Building footprints and impervious surfaces are excluded from the areas above; data reported is estimated. Also excluded are minimally managed lands such as protected (Land Lab) and forested areas.

The Grounds Department and the Office of Sustainability are in the process of developing an IPM plan for 2018.

Ohio University became a Tree Campus USA in December 2016, and created a landscape and tree care plan for the Tree Campus application. The plan favors IPM principles and the landscape coordinator estimates that more than 85% of campus grounds are maintained using IPM principles. The next step is to create the actual IPM plan. Organically managed grounds at Ohio University include the two Ridges cemeteries, the West State prairie fields and the Plant Biology Learning Gardens.

Campus grounds plants both native and adaptive, drought tolerant, low maintenance plants throughout campus. Particular emphasis is placed on preservation of canopy cover to mitigate heat island effect, provide carbon sequestration, and to clean and absorb storm water. In locations where exclusive native plantings occur, signage is offered to educate passersby. Invasive species are controlled by hand removal, mechanical removal and follow-up chemical treatment if necessary with attention to species flowering cycles and timing of seed production.

A stream restoration project initiated by the City of Athens on a stream flowing through university property utilized university personnel to design stream reconstruction, recreating the natural structure and outlining plant specs/ planting procedures. Project involved invasive species removal and replanting of natives. University has committed to monitor and remove adjacent invasive plant populations.

All landscape waste (from Athens campus) is sent to Ohio University's Class IV compost facility located on Dairy Lane on the Athens campus. This is an open air system. A portion of the landscape waste is turned into wood chips and sent for use as a bulking agent in the Class II, in-vessel system. Wood chips from campus tree maintenance are also used on campus pedestrian paths and in secondary landscape beds. Purchased mulch is a ground hardwood bark harvested from temperate zone trees. Plants are routinely transplanted to new locations when displaced by building renovations or new construction.

New salt spreaders were purchased by Grounds Dept enabling more control over quantity of salt applied to sidewalks compared to spreaders that were previously used. Product called Puremelt (a proprietary formula) is used on all concrete surfaces under 2 years old to minimize salt damage to concrete.

Note (4/6/18, ERG for Susan Calhoun): Though 10 acres of land on campus is intentionally managed (mowing only) as organic land without use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides, we do not have "organic land care standard program" documentation. Therefore we are removing the 10 acres of land from the organically managed category and placing it back in the IPM category. We utilized figures provided by University Planning and Space Management to calculate total campus area. From these figures we removed impervious surfaces (buildings and hardscape), and minimally managed lands to arrive at a strict definition of actively managed grounds. Actively conventionally managed grounds are athletic fields (soccer, softball, baseball, golfcourse greens, tees and fairway, driving range greens and tee, and football practice field). Data provided by Susan Calhoun.