Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 61.55
Liaison Melissa Cadwell
Submission Date Jan. 7, 2022

STARS v2.2

Syracuse University
OP-9: Landscape Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.37 / 2.00 Melissa Cadwell
Sustainability Coordinator
Energy Systems & Sustainability Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total campus area:
950 Acres

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 624 Acres
Area managed in accordance with an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program that uses selected chemicals only when needed 57 Acres
Area managed using conventional, chemical-based landscape management practices 269 Acres
Total area of managed grounds 950 Acres

If the total area of managed grounds is less than the total campus area, provide:

A brief description of any land excluded from the area of managed grounds:
9 acres of roads, and sidewalks.

Organic program

Percentage of grounds managed organically:
65.68

If reporting an organic program, provide:

A brief description of the organic landscape management program:
Examples of areas that are pesticide free are the Dineen Roof Top Gardens, Center of Excellence green roof, campus bio-swales, swales on South Campus, the campus organic vegetable garden and pollinator gardens. The areas on campus that are pesticide free would be roughly 65% of the total green spaces.

Our grounds department relies on cultural practices to maintain the areas. Examples of cultural practices: proper mowing techniques, aerating, slit seeding, and dethatching.

We apply approx. 1 ton of organic fertilizer on campus.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program 

Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an IPM program:
6

If reporting an IPM program, provide:

A copy of the IPM plan or program:
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A brief description of the IPM program:
We have developed and maintained an IPM approach to 57 acres of natural turf associated with the Athletics Department and Department of Recreational Services. We also maintain the grass areas on the main campus Quad using these practices.

Optional Fields 

A brief description of the institution's approach to plant stewardship:
We are a Bee Campus USA campus in addition our Grounds department is adding native New York States pollinator species to the campus in areas that previously had ornamental flowers. Presently we have two totally native pollinator gardens on South Campus on top of the replacement plants.


As part of its efforts to control stormwater run-off, SU has created a number of sumps populated with native marsh flora.

A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:
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A brief description of the institution's approach to landscape materials management and waste minimization:
300 yards of organic matter from trees, soil excavation, twigs, stump grindings, etc. are turned in to compost on campus, and then used across campus grounds the following year. The stone that was previously used on the roof of the Newhouse School has been reused as a stone mulch in some landscaping projects. When the new promenade was built on campus, university avenue pavement was milled and used in that application.

A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:
Drought resistant plants are used near roads, walks and parking lots.

A brief description of other sustainable landscape management practices employed by the institution:
Snow melts have been implemented across campus to reduce the need for salt on our sidewalks and steps throughout the campus.

Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable landscape management program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The data for this section was obtained by the manager of our grounds department.

The areas on campus that are pesticide free would be roughly 65% of the total green spaces. Our grounds crew rely's mostly on cultural practices to maintain the areas. Examples of cultural practices: proper mowing techniques, aerating, slit seeding, dethatching.

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.