Sewanee - The University of the South
OP-9: Landscape Management

Excluded area includes 11,100 acres in undeveloped timberland; 1,500 acres comprising the residential village; 30 acres of University Farm; and 4 acres of artificial sports turf.

The University maintains mixed species lawns that are not reliant on irrigation, pesticide, herbicide or fertilizer use. Over the years Sewanee has intentionally reduced the total area of maintained lawn, but there is still quite a lot of it. An example of recent and intentional lawn reduction is found at Lake Cheston. Careful note was taken of popular paths and lawn pieces that received regular use as lawn. The rest was then allowed to grow up and is mown seasonally as a transition space.

Care is taken to create transitional spaces so that mown lawn does not directly abut an unmaintained natural edge. These transitions are often less frequently mowed areas or seasonally mowed areas. The plant assemblage will grow tall, but periodic mowing prevents woody materials from establishing. These transitional spaces offer excellent habitat and forage.

Some lawn spaces do not receive active use and have lots of canopy coverage. These parcels are treated as parks. Due to the high canopy coverage it can be a struggle to keep lawn turf established. As a result, leaf areas are utilized. This reduces the area needed to mow, which in turn decreases fuel costs and usage and there are fewer bare spots, which lends a more pleasing view.

In the lawn areas there is no context in which an herbicide intervention is warranted - even during dandelion season. The lawns are mown and though dandelions often sprout up within two days, leaving the lawns looking a bit rough, the intention is to shift mindsets and overcome deeply ingrained traditional groundskeeping ideals.

please see uploaded plan

Natives species are preferred to exotic species as landscape elements are replaced or new elements established. An effort is made to match the originally intended aesthetic or function. If a comparable native cannot be used, an exotic/ornamental species will be used, but never one with invasive characteristics.

Efforts are made to prevent problematic nonnative, invasive species from establishing in manicured or maintained spaces. Lawn areas are regularly mown and transitional spaces are seasonally mown. This methodology is generally successful.

Some nonnative invasive species are “grandfathered” into the landscape by dint of their historic and/or beloved presence in well-known places. However, close management of those species is necessary. For example, a nonnative, invasive species of wisteria is a beloved characteristic of Rebels Rest. Though the plant is allowed to thrive in the area, its seed pods are intentionally removed to prevent spread and further invasion of the species into nearby areas.

A recent collaborative planting paired and celebrated the sustainable reuse of agricultural byproducts with a native plant assemblage and visual beauty. During a renovation of Lake Cheston a large wildflower meadow was established on a hillside. The meadow itself is beautiful, great for pollinators and caused a great stir of appreciative attention. The planting methodology utilized spent, round, straw bales, no longer useful to area farmers, spread as a thick mat and seeded directly with wildflower seeds. It was very successful and is a replicable collaboration for future.

Minimal irrigation takes place at the institution only for athletic fields and golf course. The irrigation at the golf course is captured rainwater in a surfacewater lake basin. Permeable pavement is being utilized on campus.
A Stormwater Management Master Plan was completed in 2017.

Sewanee boasts a well-treed campus and though the lawn area has been reduced, there is a lot of lawn that needs to be uncovered by January to promote water penetration and late winter grass growth. The leaf litter is largely removed using vacuum systems on the mowers with impellers to chop the litter. Additionally, a large truck-mounted vacuum is used for leaves along roadways and edges. Further leaves, where applicable, are blown into leaf areas in park-like landscape parcels.

The collected leaves are then piled and flipped to create leafmold compost for later use. Lots of leaves are also delivered to the University Farm where they are incorporated as a ground cover and mulch in field and bed areas - adding to the soil organic matter and a conferring a host of additional benefits to the crop areas. To prevent losing leaf piles to wind, the grounds team uses pine straw to net them down.

The institution has adopted seasonal mowing practices for appropriate areas, along with reduced frequency in other areas. Landscaping is designed to minimize machine work and manual labor. Landscapes are also designed for shade plantings on western and southern exposures.

Plants native to the SE United States are incorporated into landscape design, along with the avoidance of non-native aggressive species. All mulch applied to beds is organic in nature.

13,036 acres total
less 11,100 acres timberland
less 1,500 acres residential village
less 30 acres University Farm
less 4 acres artificial sports turf
Conventional: golf course greens, sports turf, Sewanee Inn event field
IPM: golf course fairways and roughs
everything else: organic in that it is mown, aerated, weedeated at various and considerably less-intensive levels

All data was compiled and reported in collaboration with the Superintendent of Landscape and Operations