Portland Community College
OP-9: Landscape Management

Structural and landscape pests can pose significant problems in schools and colleges. Pests such as mice and cockroaches can trigger asthma. Mice and rats are vectors of disease. Many people are allergic to yellow jacket stings. The pesticides used to remediate these and other pests can also pose health risks to people, animals, and the environment. These same pesticides may pose special health risks to children and younger students due in large part to their still-developing organ systems. Because the health and safety of students and staff is our first priority – and a prerequisite to learning - it is the policy of Portland Community College (College) to approach pest management with the least possible risk to students and staff. In addition, Senate Bill 637 incorporated into ORS Chapter 634 requires all school districts to implement integrated pest management in their schools. For this reason, the PCC Board of Directors adopts this Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPM or Plan) for use on the campuses and centers throughout its District.PCC’s Integrated Pest Management is a process for achieving long-term, environmentally sound pest suppression through a wide variety of tactics. Control strategies in the IPM program use a 4 tier approach which includes structural and procedural improvements to reduce the food, water, shelter, and access used by pests. Since IPM focuses on remediation of the fundamental reasons why pests are here, pesticides are only used when necessary.

All of the college's learning gardens are managed to strict organic standards. Grounds does not use inorganic fertilizers and all campuses are insecticide-free. Herbicides have been used only a handful of times at two campuses in the past three years to eliminate noxious weeds.

PCC uses practices that use native plants in the outer areas of campus. The native plants require less water and inputs to maintain. Inner campus grounds are planted with blended plants for aesthetics and require some water management. In 2013, using the FMS Grounds Department greenhouse, we began propagation of native plants for use across the district and also plant large areas of native wildflowers.

The college has moved to managing the runoff on parking lots by implementing a stormwater management program with the help of the Tualatin water district and the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services. We have a SWIMP (storm water injection management program) we follow which has strict guidelines for maintaining our storm water facilities. Other practices such as weed burning, mulching, hand pulling and other mechanical controls for weed control have reduced pesticide use by 90%, which further protects waterways from nutrient pollution.

1) Urban campuses - all material is placed in yard waste drop boxes for composting off-site. 2) Sylvania & Rock Creek campuses - woody material is stock piled and later ground to make mulch, including grass clippings. 3) Leaves - Primarily left in beds to act as mulch for weed control per the colleges IPM program. In some cases leaves are mulched-mowed to speed up the breakdown process and stop them from blowing away. The only material disposed of off-site is weeds from flower beds to diminish weed seed load per our IPM program.

The existing irrigation system has been improved to be more water efficient over recent years. Improvements include the use of a weather station, evapotranspiration watering sensors, water efficient irrigation heads, and a high-performance central watering system (Maxicom).

PCC plows for snow/ice and uses road sand for traction. PCC has purchased 3 sidewalk plow carts to reduce the need for de-ice on sidewalks. De-icer, when used, is applied strategically and lightly to clear only one side of stairways and sidewalks.