| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 75.77 |
| Liaison | Ezra Small |
| Submission Date | March 2, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Massachusetts Amherst
OP-9: Landscape Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.00 / 2.00 |
Ezra
Small Sustainability Manager Physical Plant |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Total campus area (i.e. the total amount of land within the institutional boundary):
3,326
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 | 0 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 | 0 Acres |
If the total area of managed grounds is less than the total campus area, provide:
There are 82.5 acres of footprint of the institution's buildings, and 2,316 acres of area of undeveloped land (mostly forested areas).
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program
0
If reporting an IPM program, provide:
---
A brief description of the IPM program:
We do not have a formalized IPM program. This is said to be in development since 2015.
Organic Program
0
If reporting an organic program, provide:
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Optional Fields
UMass Landscape Management has put together a palate of native plants that are not only native but resistant to drought. When new projects arises we choose from that palate. Each new construction project on campus meets at least a LEED Silver rating and the Green Building Guidelines for UMass have identified the "Water Efficient Landscaping" credit as "High Priority" and "easy Feasibility" for UMass to pursue.
UMass Amherst became recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a 2015 Tree Campus USA for its commitment to effective urban forest management.
UMass Amherst also maintains the extensive Frank A. Waugh arboretum and an interactive website www.tiny.cc/waugharboretum, which displays information about the location, species, health history, canopy size, champion points (a way of rating trees within species by size), historic value and more for most of the trees in the Arboretum, named for the first head of the university’s landscape architecture department. The arboretum, which covers the core campus, is home to 8,000 actively managed trees of more than 350 species.
A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:
Installation of multiple rain gardens on campus to collect the water run off. Minimization of watering and irrigation to comply with the recent town of Amherst water ban.
A brief description of the institution's approach to materials management and waste minimization (e.g. composting and/or mulching on-site waste):
We compost the waste from grounds keeping on campus. We then use that compost around campus in other grounds keeping projects.
In FY2016, UMass Office of Waste Management and Landscape Services composted over 340 tons of yard waste and leaves.
A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:
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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):
UMass uses a product that consists of biproduct of materials from distilleries to melt the salt on our side walks. This allows us to avoid using harsh chemicals to defrost our sidewalks.
In 2016, UMass grounds and Stockbridge School of Agriculture students installed the first Pollinator Garden on campus.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Pam Monn and her Landscape Management staff are in the process of developing an IPM Plan for the campus grounds. This credit will be updated in 2017.
Protected lands information comes form Paige Warren, professor in Wildlife Conservation.
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.