| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 78.59 |
| Liaison | Beverley Ayeni |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2024 |
University of Toronto Mississauga
OP-9: Landscape Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.94 / 2.00 |
Minali
Giani Sustainability Intern Facilities Management and Planning |
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 | 29.45 Hectares |
| Area managed in accordance with an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program that uses selected chemicals only when needed | 2 Hectares |
| Area managed using conventional, chemical-based landscape management practices | 0 Hectares |
| Total area of managed grounds | 31.45 Hectares |
A brief description of any land excluded from the area of managed grounds:
The lands excluded from the area managed is comprised of:
Building Footprints
Parking Lot Footprints
Ponds
Unmanaged Natural Areas
Unmanaged natural areas consist of areas of forested and grassland habitats on campus that are largely unmanaged, with the exception of minor trail maintenance (i.e. removing fallen trees across the trail).
Percentage of grounds managed organically:
A brief description of the organic landscape management program:
All Gardens are hand weeded. Shrub beds, tree rings and where appropriate planting beds mulch is used to suppress weed growth. All yard waste is collected and processed off site for either compost or woodchip/mulch repurposing. The use of regionally native species has also been made a priority as per the Campus Master Plan.
Turf areas are mowed, aerated, over seeded, top dressed and re-sod/seeded as required. During regular maintenance grass clippings are mulched in place as most of the mowing equipment have been equipped with mulching blades or kits. Where appropriate and in areas that are not functionally best served by turf, other native plantings have been installed. Inorganic fertilizers are not used in areas that are managed organically.
Hazardous trees are removed from campus woodlots and surrounding areas where possible harm to campus users could occur. When possible, the majority of the tree will be left where is has been downed.
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:
Only noxious weeds, as identified here: https://www.ontario.ca/page/noxious-weeds-ontario are chemically treated with pesticides when it has been determined that they pose a risk to campus users.
There are approximately 6 small, isolated spots on campus that due to their proximity to frequent pedestrian traffic and somewhat persistent reoccurrence of certain weeds that present a hazard, pesticides are used as noted above. These areas are all immediately adjacent to Naturalized sections of the campus
Total area these isolated spots represents is roughly 4000 square meters
Sports fields are fertilized twice per year – once in spring, once in autumn – with inorganic fertilizers, otherwise, all maintenance is cultural.
A brief description of the institution's approach to plant stewardship:
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:
A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:
A brief description of other sustainable landscape management practices employed by the institution:
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.