| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 76.34 |
| Liaison | Elida Erickson |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of California, Santa Cruz
OP-9: Landscape Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.02 / 2.00 |
Chris
Leverenz Superintendent Grounds |
Total campus area (i.e. the total amount of land within the institutional boundary):
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 | 2,006.80 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 | 32 Acres |
| Area managed using conventional landscape management practices (which may include some IPM principles or techniques) | 0 Acres |
| Total area of managed grounds | 2,038.80 Acres |
A brief description of any land excluded from the area of managed grounds (e.g. the footprint of buildings and impervious surfaces, experimental agricultural land, areas that are not regularly managed or maintained):
Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an IPM program:
A copy of the IPM plan or program:
A brief description of the IPM program:
The UCSC Grounds Services Division practices Integrated Pest Management (as defined by the EPA) when responding to pest problems in the landscape as well as in office and residential areas in buildings. Integrated Pest Management is a strategy that focuses on long-term prevention or suppression of pest problems through a combination of techniques such as monitoring for pest presence, using non-chemical practices to make the habitat less conducive to pest development, improving sanitation, and employing mechanical and physical controls. Pesticides that pose the least possible hazard and are effective in a manner that minimizes the risks to people, property, and the environment, are used only after careful monitoring indicates they are needed. When it is determined that the appropriate response to a pest problem involves the application of pesticides, the materials used are required to have been evaluated for use on Campus by the University Environmental Health and Safety Environmental Programs Unit. Materials on the Proposition 65 list are not used.
Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an organic program:
A brief description of the organic land standard or landscape management program that has eliminated the use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides in favor of ecologically preferable materials:
The Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems manages 32 acres on campus as a certified organic farm for education and research. The facility practices and teaches organic soil management, alternative pest control measures, water conservation, and biodiversity on both home garden and commercial scales.
A brief description of the institution's approach to plant stewardship:
Planting areas outside building compounds should relate to the surrounding native plant community and utilize native plants, closely related species, or, in specific and limited locations, ornamentals successfully used on campus. Selected plant species should be water efficient, requiring little or no irrigation, so as not to affect drainage and availability of water to existing native species, and to minimize water usage on campus.
A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:
Most stormwater is infiltrated to the underlying karst aquifer.
A brief description of the institution's approach to materials management and waste minimization (e.g. composting and/or mulching on-site waste):
All tree crew trimmings are chipped and used on site for landscape mulch. All logs larger than we can chip are either: Stored and chipped on site by contract tub grinder and used on site or milled for lumber to be used on site.
All but 15% of turf area is mowed with mulching deck mowers.
The remaining 15% (competition soccer field) turf area is vacuumed, collected and taken to City of Santa Cruz Green Waste for composting.
10% of landscape clippings and leaves is used on site for erosion control. 90% is collected and taken to City of Santa Cruz Green Waste for composting.
A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:
Grounds at UCSC are monitored internally by a dedicated crew. The Grounds department utilized water flow software with control valves to monitor flow being irrigated on every plot of landscape, field, or other irrigated areas. The amount of flow delivered to an area will be adjusted to account for humidity, precipitation, and temperature, to avoid over-watering.
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):
It does not snow in Santa Cruz.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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.