University of California, Los Angeles
OP-9: Landscape Management

UCLA Grounds staff are highly skilled in the landscape discipline, with decades' worth of work experience in landscape construction and maintenance. Staff include licensed landscape architects, pest control advisors, certified horticulturalists, highly skilled arborists. UCLA Groundskeepers provide a large array of outdoor services, using ecological methods, keeping the exposure to - and the usage of - pesticides to a minimum, and using endemic plants for self-sustainability. In 2022 all Facilities Management groundskeepers at UCLA completed a California Native Plant Landscaper Certification: https://facilities.ucla.edu/news/california-native-plant-landscaper-certification-program

The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program at UCLA uses a comprehensive pest management strategy that strives to find the best pest control solution with minimum impact on human health and the environment, while educating the UCLA campus community on how to limit and prevent unnecessary pest problems. IPM is based upon regular inspections, accurate identification of pests and of the specific area actually infested. Thoughtful design, combined with increased native plant diversity on campus and and the beneficial wildlife that they attract and support, will culminate in ecological balance among the plantings. Low levels of infestations are accepted with the understanding that doing so helps maintain this balance between natural predators (e.g. birds, beneficial insects, lizards) and pests. The goal is to have a multi-pronged approach that uses conventional herbicides as a last resort. As an example, IPM at UCLA addresses weed control by tackling weeds that are in flower before their seeds have a chance to ripen, preventing the spread of rhizomatous species, and working from the outside in – combatting new infestations before they have a chance to gain a foothold.

See the Maintenance section of the UCLA Landscape Plan for more info: https://ucla.app.box.com/s/sdqppkqh4uinmid8kctxsyt3x9sdzax9.

UCLA's latest Landscape Plan ("Plan") seeks to enhance campus biodiversity through ecological restoration and community engagement, including with and by local Indigenous communities.

With a guiding principle of incorporating traditional ecological knowledge, the Plan has as one of its objectives the establishment of spaces on campus for land stewardship and programming by Indigenous people. Recommendations to pursue the objective include incorporating more native plants and water systems on campus, as well promoting tribal land caretaking and incorporating indigenous practices into campus maintenance at UCLA.

Overall, plant stewardship at UCLA helps the campus anticipate the impact of climate change on our campus, plan for resilient landscaping, minimize our carbon footprint, prioritize regenerative ecological function, and support biodiversity.

UCLA irrigates all campus grounds by the use of industrial science, saving millions of gallons of water annually.

UCLA makes it a priority to lead by example - including recycling landscape waste for mulch.

The Facilities Manual contains University of California policies, procedures, and guidelines for its facilities: https://www.ucop.edu/construction-services/facilities-manual/volume-6/index.html. Examples of standard and guidelines that support energy and water conservation and management in facilities operation are "New replacement equipment should be more efficient than existing," "Plan new buildings and systems to utilize water-conserving fixtures and features, and "Avoid landscape design or plant replacement that requires excessive water use."

The 4 acres managed with an IPM program are athletics facilities. They use only a very small amount of selected chemicals, when needed.