| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.27 |
| Liaison | Suchi Daniels |
| Submission Date | Feb. 22, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of South Florida (Tampa)
OP-9: Landscape Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.39 / 2.00 |
Suchi Urs
Daniels, RA, LEED AP BD + C, Quality Assurance Program Manager/Project Manager Facilities Planning |
Total campus area (i.e. the total amount of land within the institutional boundary):
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 | 636 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 | 769.30 Acres |
| Area managed using conventional landscape management practices (which may include some IPM principles or techniques) | 156.70 Acres |
| Total area of managed grounds | 1,562 Acres |
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):
The Grounds Department maintains 635 acres, of which 322 is grass and the remainder consists of garages, shrubbery and plant beds. USF Physical Plant does not treat the grass lawns. Shrubs and plant beds are treated on an "as needed basis" in compliance with EPA's "Four Tiered Approach." USF pest control products in use are approved by USF Environmental Health and Safety.
http://usfweb2.usf.edu/eh&s/
Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an IPM program:
A copy of the IPM plan or program:
A brief description of the IPM program:
The Grounds Department maintains 600 acres, of which 322 is grass and the remainder consists of garages, shrubbery and plant beds. USF Physical Plant does not treat the grass lawns. Shrubs and plant beds are treated on an "as needed basis" in compliance with EPA's "Four Tiered Approach." USF pest control products (as listed in IPM Program pdf) in use are approved by USF Environmental Health and Safety.
Percentage of grounds managed in accordance with an organic program:
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 USF Forest Preserve is a 769.3-acre plot of wetland and sandhill habitat. It is home to a variety of plants and animals, many of whom are threatened or endangered and also several that are fire-dependent. Part of the area is routinely burned in order to conduct research on ecological succession. The Forest Preserve has two primary functions: research and teaching. This area is organic.
http://facilities.cas.usf.edu/forestpreserve/data/ForestPreserve-WhitePaper.pdf
A brief description of the institution's approach to plant stewardship:
LEED buildings. Recent projects feature the native landscapes, including the Patel Center for Global Solutions, the Interdisciplinary Science Center, the Park at Collins, and many other un-named campus landscape improvements. The USF Botanical Gardens provides on-going university and community opportunities for learning about native landscape plants with lectures, workshops, weekend festivals, community gardens, and a plant shop. It consists of 16 acres of gardens and is part of the Greenway on the USF Tampa campus. The Gardens maintain a living collection of more than 3,000 species of plants, animals and natural habitats. The gardens house ongoing research in botany, ecology, and provide opportunities for service-learning to USF students. With about 35,000 annual visitors, the gardens serve as an important outreach component of USF. Please see: http://gardens.usf.edu/
A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:
Objective 7.1.1: Provide a sufficient stormwater management system in a design that is consistent and enhances the overall Master Plan scheme, and strives to reduce stormwater outfall volumes. The 10-year plan for stormwater management focuses on increasing pervious area throughout the campus. In addition, the 10-year plan implements stormwater management Best Management Practices (BMPs) to protect water quality on campus and beyond in downstream waters offcampus. Within the campus’ West Basin, construction of ponds 204B-North and 204B-South serve to provide additional water quality treatment prior to runoff entering Lake Behnke. These ponds also serve to lower the peak stage elevation in existing pond 204C, thereby helping to reduce localized roadway flooding.
In addition, a riparian way has been added to the Central Quadrangle from MLK Plaza and the Marshall Center to a new pond southwest of the Fine Arts Building, which receives roof runoff from adjacent buildings. This feature serves to divert runoff from entering pipe networks, lower the peak stage of pond 204C, and improve water quality, while contributing aesthetic value to the Central Quad in a way that gives visibility to stormwater management and the hydrologic cycle. The stormwater system components have been added to address the changes in the land use within the campus’ East Basin. Impervious pavement has been removed from within the Greenway and replaced with stormwater ponds and open space. Wet pond 104A and dry pond 104B serve to provide the needed stormwater treatment and attenuation. The University enhances the stormwater facilities and greenway system with the following appropriate design features:
• Gradual and varied side slopes,
• Natural aquatic plant material,
• Walkways/boardwalks,
• Seasonal hardwoods and native-understory plant species and properly designed "feature" ponds that include retention liners and sufficient water flows and aeration to maintain a healthy environment and habitat for wildlife. Increasing on-site infiltration. USF stormwater policy - eliminate pollution and contaminates from stormwater run-off , compliance with FLDEP NPDES rule 62-621.00(7)(b), FAC
http://www.usf.edu/administrative-services/facilities-planning/documents/master-goals-policies.pdf
http://usfweb2.usf.edu/eh&s/Stormwater/index.html
A brief description of the institution's approach to materials management and waste minimization (e.g. composting and/or mulching on-site waste):
Grass clippings are mulched directly back into the landscape; they are not collected. The fresh tree clippings are provide to Bush Gardens for feeding to animals.
A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:
Campus landscape design incorporates drought tolerant native and adaptive plants.
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 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.