Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 60.20
Liaison Jonathan Rausseo
Submission Date March 29, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Ottawa
OP-9: Landscape Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.00 / 2.00 Pierre-Yves Leroux
Supervisor
Grounds and Transport
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total campus area (i.e. the total amount of land within the institutional boundary):
42.50 Hectares

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 Hectares
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 Hectares
Area managed using conventional landscape management practices (which may include some IPM principles or techniques) 0.50 Hectares
Total area of managed grounds 1.24 Hectares

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):

All lands are included in our management practices. The only land that is not actively managed by the University's landscaping team are the immediate footprint of the building, lands for buildings that are rented by not owned by the University, community garden plots, and lands that fall under spacial protection by any level of government.


Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an IPM program:
0

A copy of the IPM plan or program:
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A brief description of the IPM program:

All lands are included in our management practices. The only land that is not actively managed by the University's landscaping team are the immediate footprint of the building, lands for buildings that are rented by not owned by the University, community garden plots, and lands that fall under spacial protection by any level of government.


Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an organic program:
0

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 University of Ottawa contracts out its landscaping operations to a private contractor. In our contract we incolude the follwoing requirements.
- Grass is mowed once a week. Less in the spring and fall, depending on growing conditions.
- Landscaped beds are maintained at least once a month. In the fall there is a blitz to deadhead perennials and remove annuals. We also plant tulips in the fall and annuals in the spring.
We require that no pesticides be used on the premises for any reason unless it is related to a health and safety issue.
Chemical fertilizers are not applied on campus except at the Tabaret Building. Organic compost is used from time to time.


A brief description of the institution's approach to plant stewardship:

Whenever possible, the University of Ottawa tries to use as many native plants as possible. The grounds are inspected on a regular basis for invasive species. Depending on the severity of the invasive species, the grounds team act to remove invasive species as quickly at possible.


A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:

The University of Ottawa main campus has three irrigation systems in place (at the University Centre, at the University Plaza, and at the Tabaret Building). These highly efficient systems are controlled be using rain sensors. The three systems are connected to adjacent buildings which rely on City Water. As a matter of practice, the grounds team also fills a water tank used to water annual flowers around the campus that are not covered by any irrigation systems.


A brief description of the institution's approach to materials management and waste minimization (e.g. composting and/or mulching on-site waste):

All our green material (includings tree pruings, clipped wood from dead trees, plants that have been weeded, etc) is sent to a private off-campus composting facility. The only materials that are kept on campus are grass clippings for mulching.
The community gardens also collect green material and use backyard composters to transform their yard waste and reapply the compost on campus the following year.


A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:

Although spaces on not always designed with energy efficiency in mind, there are some notable excepttions on campus.
The University of Ottawa favours lighter tinted paving materials to reduce the heat island effect. In addition, depending on the location on campus, trees are selected for their shading potential. For example, we planted Amelanchiers and Maples in high traffic pedestrian areas to increase shade in the summer. And in the winter, these deciduous trees loss their leaves and allow for the spaces to be heated by the sun.


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:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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