Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
OP-9: Landscape Management

Areas not regularly managed or maintained were excluded. These include: wooded areas, an old golf course (120 acres), and abandoned housing properties acquired for land.

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Although the use of native plant species in landscaping is not prioritized across the entire university, there are efforts to prioritize sustainable behaviors in landscaping through reducing water usage, using soils made from natural composting methods on campus, etc. In addition, there are efforts for certain areas of campus to be dominated by native species.

Penn State Behrend has conducted and maintains an inventory of trees on its campus, and has set forth a Physical Plant policy to "identify, acknowledge, and protect" irreplaceable trees on campus. To that end, "Heritage Trees" and "Heritage Tree Groves" have been designated; these are defined as trees/groves with "exceptional historical, cultural, and/or aesthetic value because of their age or their association with an important event/person". Once so designated, Heritage trees/ groves are given special consideration by grounds maintenance staff to ensure that they are protected. More information about Penn State's trees can be found here: http://www.lorax.psu.edu/

The University's storm water program promotes the use of conservation design practices that preserve and use natural critical hydrologic areas to minimize the impact on the environment. The University is always installing new and innovative facilities to reduce the quantity and improve the quality of runoff from its campuses.

The University uses bioretention as a method of treating storm water by pooling water on the surface and allowing filtering and settling of suspended solids and sediment at the mulch layer, prior to entering the plant/soil/microbe complex media for infiltration and pollutant removal. Rain gardens or bioretention techniques are used to accomplish water quality improvement and water quantity reduction.

A Drought Contingency Plan has been developed by the Office of Physical Plant. The plan outlines steps to take under increasing drought pressure as conditions move from drought watch, to drought warning, to drought emergency.

Leaves, grass clippings, plant debris, brush and logs are collected from campus landscape maintenance. The leaves and plant debris are composted and the brush and logs are ground and manufactured as mulch. The mulch and compost is used in campus landscape maintenance and for research projects; any excess compost is sold to the public.

Penn State has a comprehensive landscaping design strategy. Design techniques include:
Planting trees for the purpose of providing shade, planting windbreaks to slow winds near buildings, green roofs and minimizing paved areas. On-campus composting and chipping is utilized to reduce greenwaste hauling. Stock is purchased from local growers as appropriate to minimize energy used for transportation.