Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 68.32
Liaison Carrie Metzgar
Submission Date May 3, 2013
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.2

University of California, San Diego
OP-T2-19: Native Plants

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.25 / 0.25 Alonso Noble
Assistant Superintendent
Facilities Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution prioritize the use of native plant species in landscaping?:
Yes

A brief description of the native plant program, policy, or practice:

UC San Diego’s campus master plan and other approved planning document define the use of native plantings. Excerpts: “Indigenous vegetation should be considered as a landscape fabric that has a coastal sage and chaparral integrity and heritage to it.” “The use of grass as a ground cover is discouraged except in sunny locations where students, faculty…may gather on a lawn. Planting areas, to the greatest extent possible, should be covered by a variety of xeric-tolerant, indigenous, and ornamental shrubbery and ground cover.”

The landscape management staff values the use of native plants; When reviewing plans for a new landscape, inclusion of appropriate native plantings are verified. For example recommending the use of Saliva clevelandii for a shrub in housing project instead of using Pittosporum crassifolium. UC San Diego landscape management employees are the unofficial watch dogs for the protection of existing native habitat adjacent to a new development. Plant material identification questions during employment hiring include common native plantings.

The following site includes UC San Diego’s Master Plan, Neighborhood Plans, Guidelines and campus wide landscape Polices: http://physicalplanning.ucsd.edu
The following site includes all scope of work services by UC San Diego Facilities Management Landscape Services: http://blink.ucsd.edu/facilities/management/landscaping/index.html


The website URL where information about the program, policy, or practice is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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.