University of Minnesota, Duluth
OP-9: Landscape Management

73 Acres is comprised of buildings/impervious surfaces 89 Acres are undeveloped land/natural area (not managed/maintained)

UMD Grounds Supervisor, Shane Peterson, monitors campus to first identify and inspect any areas on the severity of invasive species infestation. Then several solutions are looked into to decide which would be the least hazardous. Chemicals are used as a last resort only and are used with utmost care to minimize environmental impact. UMD adopted a Pollinator Pledge as part of operational policy to 1) maintain pollinator-friendly practices in plantings and pesticides, 2) avoid the use of pesticides, including those of the neonicotinoid family, except for threats to forestry and other University property,and 3) plant seeds and plants of native nature that are favorable to pollinators of native and nonnative kinds, which enhance pollinator habitat. The policy is available online at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1peAWe7sh-qzGOjC6xJZZYqjdMxITW264/view?usp=sharing

Both native plants and non-invasive, non-native plants that are drought and cold-tolerant are used around the grounds. Bagley Nature Area is a key spot area where native plants are a priority and the eradication of invasive natives is pursued aggressively. The newest UMD building, Heikkila Chemistry & Advanced Materials Science includes very little sod around it, and instead uses a biofiltration garden, pervious pavers, and decorative and locally-sourced, decorative basalt rock slabs. Two green roofs are located on the Bagley Classroom and Civil Engineering, which provide stormwater treatment, additional insulation, and bee & butterfly habitat.

UMD has a robost stormwater program and Best Management Practices that promote water filtration, slowing down stormwater runoff, and reducing the use of potable water for irrigation. Our Transportation and Parking Services recently upgraded a parking lot (M-2) and chose to include a larger impervious parking lot (Lot C) nearby in the stormwater retrofit. This allowed a large expanse of parking lot that was previously untreated to run through Phosphorus-reducing iron-sand filters, tree trenches, and rain gardens before flowing to nearby Tischer Creek (a local trout stream that borders our campus). Stormwater practices are heavily featured in UMD sustainability tours and in our social media. For more information: z.umn.edu/sustaintours

Waste landscaping materials from campus are composted at the UMD Field and Research Studies property, including brush and limbs, which are chipped and spread onto flower gardens and trails. Soil that is removed for projects is brought to UMD farm and reused. Clippings are mulched and reused. Farm waste from the UMD Land Lab is composted on site.

As a heavily-treed campus, we focus on tree preservation. Tree removal on campus is discouraged, and an aggressive Tree Replacement Policy requires trunk-inch to trunk-inch replacement of all trees removed during construction projects. Tree Replacement Policy is available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzxPsNYqbvRIdmFfcGV4Qkl2RDQ/view?usp=sharing

Grounds staff are trained on proper snow and ice removal. Physical removal is always first. After snow is physically removed, salt can be applied to limit ice. Envirotech salt is used because of its colder melting threshold. Salts with little to no chloride are used to limit chloride impact on surrounding. During their "Smart Snow Removal training", staff are trained to use as little salt as possible to be effective. Streets are swept before spring snow melt to limit amount that seeps into the environment. Because of training and proper application, salt use has been cut back over the last several years and less Grounds storage is needed for stockpiles. Poultry grit is used instead of sand, to limit sediment runoff into our watersheds, which can blanket trout habitat.