Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 60.83
Liaison Parker Long
Submission Date March 2, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Virginia Commonwealth University
OP-9: Landscape Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.00 / 2.00 Joseph Costa
Sustainability Projects and Program Coordinator
Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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

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 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 0 Acres
Area managed using conventional landscape management practices (which may include some IPM principles or techniques) 33 Acres
Total area of managed grounds 33 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):

VCU is built into the city of Richmond and some land is maintained by the city. Much of the campus footprint is occupied by paved surfaces and building footprints. Landscape elements are highly fragmented.


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:

We have IPM principles in mind as we care for the campus landscape but it is important to note that we don't have the resources or program elements in place to consistently and systematically progress through the full range of IPM tools before applying pesticides.

We do monitor for plant pests and disease though not everywhere and not in a rigorous fashion. It's probably a fair statement to say we look for some things and encounter others incidentally as we work. We haven't formalized action thresholds but pesticides aren't often applied until we have economic damage because we may not notice a pest population until it is impacting plant health. We do some preventive and "least toxic" applications of horticultural oil to suppress insect pests before their populations impact plant health. We try to use systemic insecticides rather than contact insecticides to control certain pests in woody plants. We don't employ many broad spectrum pesticides. We have tried "organic" products and have used bio-rational fungicides on green roofs.

In our urban landscape, we can't always fix the cultural issues that stress plants and predispose them to pests and disease but we try to influence design choices that minimize cultural problems in the future. In some cases, we live with problems or replace plants rather than fight a pest or disease with pesticides. We use mulch and pre-emergent herbicides to suppress weed seed germination and reduce post-emergent herbicide use but still must apply post-emergent herbicides in turf, ornamental beds and hardscapes throughout campus.


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:
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A brief description of the institution's approach to plant stewardship:
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A brief description of the institution's approach to hydrology and water use:
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A brief description of the institution's approach to materials management and waste minimization (e.g. composting and/or mulching on-site waste):
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A brief description of the institution's approach to energy-efficient landscape design:
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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):
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.