| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.81 |
| Liaison | Christa Rieck |
| Submission Date | Jan. 4, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Houston
OP-9: Landscape Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 2.00 |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Total campus area (i.e. the total amount of land within the institutional boundary):
891.80
Acres
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 | 270 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 | 0 Acres |
| Area managed using conventional landscape management practices (which may include some IPM principles or techniques) | 0 Acres |
| Total area of managed grounds | 270 Acres |
If the total area of managed grounds is less than the total campus area, provide:
Total area accounts for green space within the campus boundary and excludes:
• Buildings
• Paved areas
• Other impermeable surfacing
Additionally, the campus boundary includes 300 acres of native prairie preserve (listed in OP-10) but is excluded from the pest management plan. The prairie serves as a wildlife preserve and pest management is provide through natural processes.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program
100
If reporting an IPM program, provide:
A brief description of the IPM program:
The goal of the university's pest management program is to balance the benefits of control, cost, public health and environmental quality. This is accomplished by monitoring and evaluating pest problems and then selecting a control to prevent or cure unacceptable pest activities or damage. Pest are defined as weeds, diseases, insects or others. Control options may include chemical, cultural, manual or mechanical.
This IPM program is based on effectiveness, environmental impact, worker/public health safety and economics. The university strives to take advantage of all options in implementing this program.
Our IPM program includes, but is not limited to the following steps:
A) Monitoring the campus on a regular basis for the presence of pest and monitoring the overall health of the landscape.
B) Determining the threshold of damage acceptable. This is determined by factors such as severity of the injury caused by the pest, aesthetics in the case of weed infestation and health concerns.
Initiating preventive or curative actions to avoid unacceptable damage. The methods selected must take into consideration the economic threshold, degree of expected control, worker/public health and safety and any potential hazards to property and the environment. When outbreaks do occur, effective methods of suppressing damaging population levels must be implemented. When measures are taken, the least toxic methods are always given preference.
Organic Program
0
If reporting an organic program, provide:
---
Optional Fields
Existing trees are protected during construction. The campus has a tree replacement policy of 1:1 caliper-inches replaced for every tree removed. The campus landscape list includes many native plants. Plants are selected for their durability in Houston’s high heat and humidity as well as allowing for reduced water usage.
Historically, there have not been any issues with invasive species on campus.
A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:
n/a
A brief description of the institution's approach to materials management and waste minimization (e.g. composting and/or mulching on-site waste):
All landscape waste is recycled either on-campus or sent to a landscape recycling center. On-site re-use includes mulching branches 4” or less in diameter and allowing leaves to fall and decompose naturally.
A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:
---
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):
n/a
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 University of Houston is currently Tree Campus USA certified.
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.