| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.29 |
| Liaison | Jonna Korpi |
| Submission Date | Sept. 11, 2024 |
University of Minnesota, Duluth
OP-9: Landscape Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.45 / 2.00 |
Jonna
Korpi Sustainability Director UMD Sustainability |
Total campus area:
Figures required to calculate the total area of managed grounds:
| Area (double-counting is not allowed) | |
| Area managed organically, without the use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides | 16 Acres |
| Area managed in accordance with an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program that uses selected chemicals only when needed | 0 Acres |
| Area managed using conventional, chemical-based landscape management practices | 73.43 Acres |
| Total area of managed grounds | 89.43 Acres |
If the total area of managed grounds is less than the total campus area, provide:
98.6 acres = Impervious Surface (buildings, roads, sidewalks, artificial turf for sport fields)
198.82 = Unmanaged areas (nature area, forested areas, research site, wetlands)
71.7* = land parcel accounting error
*Important to note, the 458.52 figure is from official real estate/land holdings documents of the U of M. However, it is important to note that due to clerical error that is now decades old, the total UMD land holdings is listed at approximated 72 acres higher than actual, due to parcel double counting during a system change in the early 1980s. Therefore, total land acreage for UMD is closer to 322 total acres. However, because public documents state 458.52, we are using that number until the issue is corrected. It is in process of being corrected, but the issue affects all land holdings across the five campus system and will take time to resolve.
Organic program
If reporting an organic program, provide:
UMD Grounds Supervisor, Isaac Kasper, and Gardener John Beaton monitor the farm 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. The University farm is an organically managed vegetable farm so no synthetic chemicals are used in the garden areas or in the surrounding acreage. The NRRI and RFSC lawn areas of the properties are managed with no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program
If reporting an IPM program, provide:
A brief description of the IPM program:
Optional Fields
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 area where native plants are a priority and the eradication of invasive species 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.
A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:
A brief description of the institution's approach to landscape materials management and waste minimization:
Waste landscaping materials from campus are composted at the UMD Research and Field Studies Center (RFSC) 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. Any of these organic type of materials that are not re-used on campus or at the farm are donated to a local company who adds them to their compost pile.
A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:
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
A brief description of other sustainable landscape management practices employed by the institution:
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. Landscapers Choice salt is used around buildings because of its colder melting threshold with lower chloride amounts. During their "Smart Salting training", staff are trained to use as little salt as possible to be effective. Streets are swept before spring snow melt to limit the 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 in many places, to limit sediment runoff into our watersheds, which can blanket trout habitat.
Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable landscape management program 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.