| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.85 |
| Liaison | Aimee Lemrise |
| Submission Date | Jan. 10, 2020 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
OP-9: Landscape Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 2.00 |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Total campus area (i.e. the total amount of land within the institutional boundary):
8,622
Acres
Figures required to calculate the total area of managed grounds:
| Area (double-counting is not allowed) | |
| Area managed in accordance with an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program that uses a four-tiered approach | 400 Acres |
| Area managed in accordance with an organic land care standard or sustainable landscape management program that has eliminated the use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides in favor of ecologically preferable materials | 0 Acres |
| Area managed using conventional landscape management practices (which may include some IPM principles or techniques) | 0 Acres |
| Total area of managed grounds | 400 Acres |
If the total area of managed grounds is less than the total campus area, provide:
Building footprints, native woodland.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program
100
If reporting an IPM program, provide:
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A brief description of the IPM program:
Preventative measures are taken when possible. Regular inspections to monitor and identify various insect and diseases are conducted and setting and actin thresholds are set. This information is used to determine the proper treatment, use of chemicals, methods and safety equipment needed for control.Employees responsible for pest management are licensed by the state of Illinois and IPM is an integral part of that testing process.
4 components: prevention, set action thresholds, monitor and identify pests, and control.
Organic Program
0
If reporting an organic program, provide:
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Optional Fields
1. Although our campus is not required to use native plantings in our landscaped areas, we strive in many of these plantings to use native species.
2. We experienced a devastating windstorm that destroyed an estimated 800 trees in groomed areas of our campus, we also have several hundred acres of natural wooded areas with paths and a large campus lake. Since the fall of 2009 (first fall after the storm) we have had a volunteer tree planting to restore these areas using native and non native species, we have planted over 800 new trees to date. We also utilize many native shrubs, grasses, and perennials in newly landscaped and renovated plantings. We have also received recognition as a Tree Campus USA for four years in a row. In 2019, we gained status as a National Arboretum site. (Level 2 Accreditation, https://arboretum.siu.edu/)
A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:
We have a couple of small scale rain gardens that have been put in place to capture excessive runoff. Have installed and maintain check dams to reduce sedimentation into the campus lake. Finishing up a wetland project with native vegetation at the lake that took the place of an old beach site for erosion control and to capture nutrient runoff. Managed a lake shore restoration program that removed sedimentation from the lake to reduce the nutrient load and discourage the growth of cyanobacteria.
A brief description of the institution's approach to materials management and waste minimization (e.g. composting and/or mulching on-site waste):
1. 90 percent of our landscape waste is composted on site, trees, limbs, and stumps as well as any collected leaves and grass clippings.
2.We stock pile landscape waste throughout the year, roughly once per year we contract a tub grinder to turn that material into a useable product. We use some of the grinding as a mulch.
3.We use the compost created in the Forced Aeration compost facility as a soil amendment in landscaped areas.
4.We separate concrete and asphalt projects in demolition products to be ground and sorted into a reusable aggregate to be used as an under layer for concrete projects.
5. Grounds Department plays an integral role in our campus recycling program. Maintaining a relationship with waste vendors, gathering recycling from outdoor bins, transporting recycling to facilities, and transporting food waste to the SIU Farms Compost Facility, as well as clean up at major outdoor events including SIU Athletics Football games.
A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:
We try to improve the percentage of tree canopy for energy efficiency.
A brief description of other sustainable landscape management practices employed by the institution (e.g. use of environmentally preferable landscaping materials, initiatives to reduce the impacts of ice and snow removal, wildfire prevention):
1. We constantly educate both our staff and constituents on are snow removal processes and procedures, upgrade our equipment and tweak campus snow removal maps to keep them current.
2. We have in place a campus snow removal plan and map, send employees to snow and ice seminars, invest in current salt and brine equipment calibrate them for efficiency, utilize a weather service and pavement temperatures, understand the many dynamics of managing snow and ice, educate our staff on proper use, timing, type and amounts of products to use, experiment with new methods and chemicals, keep campus community updated on campus conditions.These techniques and education contribute to proper usage of salt and reducing excessive over salting which can have harmful implications on water quality and the ecosystem.
Road salts can have detrimental impacts on water quality and ecosystems as they contribute to salinization. Right now, there are not alternatives- Good environmental decision making involves using road salt effectively and efficiently. (use less salt overall) Other important ways to use less salt include the use of efficient machines and utilizing weather information systems so that salt is applied at the appropriate times and efficiency is maximized.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Data provided by Dave Tippy, Superintendent of Grounds
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.