| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 48.09 |
| Liaison | Tara Shimer |
| Submission Date | April 18, 2024 |
State University of New York at Morrisville
OP-9: Landscape Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.73 / 2.00 |
Bill
Mitchell Energy & Sustainability Manager Facilities |
Total campus area:
Figures required to calculate the total area of managed grounds:
| Area (double-counting is not allowed) | |
| Area managed organically, without the use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides | 1.25 Acres |
| Area managed in accordance with an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program that uses selected chemicals only when needed | 435 Acres |
| Area managed using conventional, chemical-based landscape management practices | 160 Acres |
| Total area of managed grounds | 596.25 Acres |
If the total area of managed grounds is less than the total campus area, provide:
SUNY Morrisville and associated entities own 1,797 acres of land, with most of these acres managed as nature conservation lands.
There are no-mow areas within the ~160 actively managed (mowed and landscaped) Main Campus acres; sizes vary, total acres of these no-mow areas is unknown.
Organic program
If reporting an organic program, provide:
SUNY Morrisville Organic Farm:
The 1.25 acre college organic farm is certified organic, and we only use organic pesticides and fertilizers on this piece of land.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program
If reporting an IPM program, provide:
A brief description of the IPM program:
Spader Greenhouses and the adjacent landscape beds use IPM programming.
< 1.0 acre
Agriculture and pasture fields are managed according to best practices in soil management as taught in SUNY Morrisville's agriculture and soil/water conservation programs.
In FY-2022-2023 SUNY Morrisville actively tended, planted, pasture managed and harvested:
~ 435 acres of land, adjacent to the edges of the SUNY Morrisville Main Campus:
- 185 acres of corn
- 230 acres of hay, and
- 20 acres of managed pasture land.
Optional Fields
All new planting on SUNY Morrisville campus were designed and installed with native plantings, and all plantings adjacent to Spader Greenhouse are designed developed using native plants.
Grounds personnel use a process of mulching, pruning, planting techniques, frequent watering and bladder bags on trees.
A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:
The grounds department mulches beds and uses water bags on newly planted trees. New and updated parking lots are designed with permeable pavement, planned drainage, and water retention ponds have wetland enhancements.
A brief description of the institution's approach to landscape materials management and waste minimization:
Landscape materials are composted; leaves are also composted and eventually ground into re-usable mulch.
A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:
New projects that included a circular driveway and dormitory parking areas, all included nice shade tree plantings, to reduce the amount of solar gain, along the edges of these areas. The one campus pond has a pump for oxidation / reduction of algal production only; no other landscaping drainage pumps are used.
A brief description of other sustainable landscape management practices employed by the institution:
Drought tolerant species are selected to reduce watering/water use. Landscape fabric and mechanical management is used in weed control, along with aeration and over-seeding on lawns; in addition, proper mowing height helps the grass compete against intruding plants. No mow, wildflower & native planting areas aid in manpower/FTE reduction for continued sustainable practices at reduced expense.
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable landscape management program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The SUNY Morrisville grounds and landscape manager has years of experience in sustainable practices that have enabled the campus to do more with less, especially in the reduction of costly former solutions such as pesticides and other non-IPM practices.
Stay tuned for additinal practice updates.
The data and information in this AASHE framework section was provided by the Head Grounds Supervisor, within Facilities Management, the Energy and Sustainability Manager within Facilities Management, a Dairy Farm Field Crops Specialist, and an Assistant Professor of Horticulture / instructor of Landscape Design and Management within the Horticulture Department.
Currrent Performance Year is FY-2022-2023: July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023.
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.