Increase Environmental Landscaping

Increase Environmentally and Economically Beneficial Landscaping

Background

The federal government makes landscaping and planting decisions for a
wide variety of federal facilities, including military bases, park
facilities, highway projects, and veterans' cemeteries.[1] These
decisions significantly affect the health of the natural systems on
which we depend.

Environmentally beneficial landscaping considers the make-up of the
native ecosystem where the landscaping is done and strives to protect
it. It is designed to minimize the effects that the landscaping will
have on the surrounding environment by giving preference to regionally
native plant species. It also emphasizes the use of water-conserving
techniques such as efficient irrigation systems and drought-resistant
plants and the reduced use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and
herbicides.

At every level of government environmentally beneficial landscaping
policies and activities are being implemented. For example, the 1987
Wildflower Act requires that 25 cents out of every $100 of landscape
funding be used to plant wildflowers in federally financed highway
projects.[2] This law, however, does not require the use of wildflower
species native to the project area. The Department of Veterans Affairs
stresses the use of native plants in its National Cemetery System to
reduce mowing and water costs.[3]

The federal government also has programs that combine educational and
conservation opportunities. For example, the Department of Agriculture's
Soil Conservation Service helps schools and communities develop outdoor
learning centers.[4] These centers provide opportunities to teach core
subjects, such as science, math or English, using environmental and
conservation examples. The local centers can satisfy traditional
educational requirements while meeting specific conservation objectives.
For example, children help design, plant, and maintain a row of trees
near their school to reduce energy costs.  Throughout the project, they
learn the math and physics, for example, of energy conservation. At the
same time, they learn how to choose environmentally appropriate tree
species and how to care for them.

Several states and cities are also beginning to recognize the value of
planting native species, and it is reflected in their laws and
ordinances. For example, Minnesota recently passed a law to study the
feasibility of requiring only native plants on public lands.

In California, state law mandates cities to institute local ordinances
that require citizens to use water conservation practices in their
landscaping activities.[5] The city of Austin, Texas, has several
ordinances that require city planners and developers to consider the
environmental impacts of their actions.[6] These ordinances include
requiring the use of native species in plantings, the protection of
trees on development sites, and the use of integrated pest management
practices. They also require the use of water conservation techniques in
plans, and the preservation of fragile ecosystems at development
projects.

NEED FOR CHANGE

The federal government should serve as an example of how landscaping can
incorporate environmentally beneficial practices and be both beautiful
and economical.

Preserve Native Ecosystems.

Native plants add value to the complex ecosystems of which they are a
part. The right selection of plants provides appropriate habitat for
wildlife, creating resources for food, shelter, and nesting areas. The
use of native plants can also reduce landscaping costs and pollution.
In many parts of the country, however, they are not used in landscaping:
sometimes because exotic species have edged them out, sometimes because
they are simply not commercially available, and sometimes because they
are not deemed attractive.

The introduction of exotic plants can have costly environmental and
economic consequences. Throughout the country, there are approximately
14 million acres of federal lands that are infested with exotic weed
species (such as English ivy).[7] For example, in California's Redwood
National Forest biologists have identified 150 plant species as
hazardous to the natural ecosystem. Their budget, however, provides only
enough funding to do basic research on management strategies for 10 of
these exotic species.[8]

Many native landscaping plants are not commercially available.
Few  nurseries maintain sufficient stocks of native trees,
shrubs, grasses,  and wildflowers in the size and quantity to
meet the federal  government's landscaping needs. Government
specifications that require  the use of native species do not
always allow enough time for nurseries  to develop stock. As a
result, nurseries that are interested in  developing a more
diverse inventory of native plant species do not do  so because
they cannot grow them fast enough to satisfy the  specifications.
Therefore, few nurseries bid on the published  proposals. In
addition, nurseries are hesitant to enter the market  because of
uncertain demand, again reducing the selection of  native species
available to federal landscape architects. 

Improve Conservation Education.

Current federal environmental and conservation educational programs do
not fully exploit the opportunity for public- private partnerships in
education and conservation. There are many opportunities the federal
government can take to set an example and provide outreach activities to
the public. The federal government is in the position to be a model for
the preservation of our biological cultural heritage. Government
grounds can be excellent examples of the diversity of native plant
species in an area.

Reduce Landscaping Costs.

Maintenance costs can be reduced because native grasses and wildflowers
do not require frequent mowing, irrigation, or fertilization. Reduced
mowing lowers costs of labor, tractor repair, and fuel. It also reduces
pollution.

Chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides and irrigated water
expenditures can be reduced because native plants are better suited to
the climate and the local insect and animal population. Therefore, they
require reduced quantities of irrigated water and chemical fertilizers,
herbicides, and pesticides to thrive.The use of integrated pest
management (IPM) can further reduce agency expenditures for chemical
fertilizers and pesticides. IPM is a method of pest control that uses
biological methods to control damaging pests. For example, sterile
insects can be introduced in an area to mate with the existing insects,
thereby reducing their ability to reproduce and eventually their
population size. This method of pest control also includes surveying
infested areas and planning pesticide applications to coincide with the
most vulnerable stage of the target insect population's development.
This avoids blanket preventive spraying.

Implementation of effective IPM programs can reduce chemical usage and
costs significantly. The National Arboretum, for example, reduced its
expenditures for chemical pesticides by an estimated 75 percent when it
switched to IPM.[9] Purchasing chemicals only on an as-needed basis can
achieve cost savings not only by requiring fewer purchases, but also by
avoiding disposal costs for unused chemicals. The use of chemicals to
maintain grounds contributes to environmental, health, and safety
problems. Reduced use of chemicals lowers the possibility of
contaminated run-off into rivers and ground water.  Chemical reductions
can assist agencies in achieving compliance with the pollution
prevention Executive Order, which calls for a 50 percent reduction in
toxic substance use by federal agencies.[10]

Conserve Water.

Water used to irrigate lawns and landscapes can account for significant
proportions of total water use during peak watering season. The
selection of native plants that are adapted to the particular climate
can reduce water demand by requiring less irrigated water. Grasses and
trees should be selected in part based on how much water they consume.
Species that are particularly thirsty should not be used in arid areas
where normal rainfall does not meet most of the plant's water needs.
Reduced water use conserves the fresh water supply for both the natural
environmental systems and the human population.

Accordingly, federal parks, golf courses, and cemeteries should select
grass varieties carefully, install efficient irrigation technologies,
and schedule irrigation times according to turf needs and weather
conditions. All landscapes, especially large grassy areas, should have
their water needs audited to ensure that plants are receiving the
appropriate level of water.  Overwatering results in additional water
costs, as well as unnecessary use of energy.[11]

Endnotes

1. To provide an idea of the extent of federal landscaping efforts, note
that the Federal Highway Administration spent over $77.8 million on
landscaping projects in 1992, the Department of Veterans Affairs
maintains 114 cemeteries throughout the country encompassing 10,000
acres, and the Department of Defense manages 25 million acres of land,
some of which must be landscaped and maintained.

2. See The Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act
of 1987.

3. Telephone interview with Marty Rize, National Cemetery System,
Veterans Administration, July 14, 1993.

4. Interview with Tom Leverman, Head, Educational Relations, Soil
Conservation Service, USDA, July 19, 1993.

5. Telephone interview with Marsha Prillwitz, Landscape Program
Manager, Water Conservation Office, California Department of Water
Resources, July 6, 1993.

6. Telephone interview with Susan Scallon, City of Austin, Texas, July
27, 1993.

7. The 1993 Federal Interdepartmental Weed Committee Report, estimated
the extent of exotic species/weed infestations on federal lands as
follows: Bureau of Land Management, 6 million acres; Forest Service, 4.9
million acres; Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1 million acres; Bureau of
Reclamation, 1 million acres; National Park Service, 0.5 million acres;
Fish and Wildlife Service, 0.5 million acres.

8. Telephone interview with Steve Harris, Vegetation Ecologist, Redwood
National Forest, July 15, 1993.

9. Telephone interview with Dr. Garvey, National Arboretum, July 13,
1993.

10. Executive Order 12856, "Federal Compliance with Right-to-Know Laws
and Pollution Prevention Requirements," August 3, 1993.

11. See discussion of the relationship between water and energy use in
ENV03: Increase Energy and Water Efficiency.

12. See discussion of water conservation opportunities in federal
facilities in ENV03: Increase Energy and Water Efficiency.