University of West Georgia
OP-10: Landscape Management

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The University follows a comprehensive sustainable landscape management plan which includes responsible oversight in the areas of yard debris management, turf management, plant usage and maintenance, water conservation and integrated pest management.

Plantings on the University campus are utilized for aesthetic value, temperature moderation, soil stabilization, and habitat structure. Native and/or adaptable non-native plantings are utilized throughout the campus. These plants are chosen for their pest tolerance, drought tolerance, and overall hardiness as well as the aesthetic value.

According to the UWG Tree Policy there is to be no net loss in tree canopy. For every 1" of tree caliber lost to new construction, building/landscape renovation, storm damage, or disease, 1" of tree caliber shall be planted back to replace the loss. The annual leaf drop in the fall happens over a several month period from early September through December. The leaves are managed over approximately 25 acres. During the earlier part of ‘Leaf Season’ the staff blows leaves onto lawn areas and run mowers over the leaves to grind them to a smaller size that will decompose on site and add nutrient back to the soil. During the late part of the ‘Leaf Season’, usually during December, our staff will remove bulk leaves from lawn areas and parking lots and put them in a leaf mold compost site located in our natural area. The resulting composted leaf mold is used in the landscape as a soil conditioner and in our community garden for soil enrichment, weed control, and moisture control. The amount of leaf mold generated each year is approximately 12.5 tons with approximately 12.5 tons of leaves either returned to the landscape by mowing or blowing into natural areas.

For all areas managed under the Sustainable Landscape Policy, the practice is to use in-place soil enhancement via leaf shredding and composting. Leaves generated in the 250 acre natural undeveloped and not maintained area of campus are allowed to fall and decompose in place in a natural fashion.

We generate approximately 135 tons of usable mulch from composted landscape materials each year. All of the by product is used in our landscape on campus for erosion control, moisture control, weed control, and to build the soil organic percentages.

In addition to our "no net tree loss" policy, which helps prevent erosion, there are 2 rain gardens on campus and our policy is to use slow-release fertilizer on the general lawn areas to prevent unnecessary fertilizer run-off during rain. FERTILIZER: General lawn areas are fertilized with a slow release fertilizer with phosphorus and potassium applied as recommended and over seeded in the fall. There are no herbicides used on this turf. RAIN-GARDENS: One garden is locaed in a high student-traffic area to increase student engagement and enjoyment of natural places. The other rain garden captures the water through gutters from our Planning and Development office and puts it back into the soil instead of straight onto the parking lot. IRRIGATION: Our entire irrigation program on campus is monitored by the CalSense control program. This includes a rain gauge for adjusting program timing to account for natural rain fall. RETENTION: The university maintains several retention ponds throughout the campus to hold storm water runoff and return the water to the soil profile and surrounding natural areas, diverting from sewer pipes.

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The University of West Georgia is fortunate to have the Little Tallapoosa River running through a portion of the campus. This river contains a significant amount of protected wetland area and additional land that is within the Little Tallapoosa 100 Year Flood line. These areas cannot be developed upon.