Landscape Managers

Overview

Who is this guide for?

If you’re a landscape manager and you’re asking yourself, “How can I make my job more environmentally friendly when my work depends on gas-powered tools, chemical pesticides and herbicides, and lots of water?”
… then this Climate Action Guide is for you.

Unlike most jobs, the work of landscape managers directly influences the health of the local ecosystem and shapes how people interact with their surroundings. Your actions – the trees you plant, the fertilizer you use – all have a direct, lasting impact on the environment. As a manager, you have influence over your team and can introduce sustainability as a normal part of landscaping. With over 900,000 landscaping and groundskeeping workers (2023, Department of Labor) and over 640,000 landscaping and lawn maintenance businesses (IBIS World) in the United States, there is huge potential for everyone in the industry to have a positive impact on the environment.

How can a Landscape Manager take climate action

  1. Reuse wood as mulch: Grind down stumps and fallen trees for wood chips.
  2. Create a sustainable plant palette: Help decision-makers choose beneficial plants with a plant palette of native and/or weather-tolerant plants.
  3. Switch to organic fertilizer: Organic fertilizer is price-competitive to synthetic fertilizer and prevents run-off pollution.
  4. Conduct water audits: Analyzing irrigation systems and water use can help conserve water and improve landscape health.
  5. Use sheet mulching for weed management: Sheet mulching is an effective and chemical-free way to manage weeds.
  6. Find allies in other groups and departments (Bonus): Sustainable landscaping is a topic that many people are interested in and excited to get involved with.

Taking climate action benefits everyone

  • Landscape managers and team: Learn new skills and adapt to market trends, simplify weed maintenance, reduce exposure to toxins
  • Employers: Save money on water and chemical inputs
  • Community and environment:
    • Reduce exposure to insecticides and herbicides
    • Improve biodiversity and native species
    • Conserve water

Action 1: Chip wood to reuse as mulch

Tree stumps and trimmings can be chipped into mulch for sheet mulching, paths, or to cover planted areas. Some municipalities provide tree chipping services. Chippers and grinders can also be rented from hardware stores.

Step-by-step

  1. Determine whether buying or renting a wood chipper makes economic sense. Estimate how much tree waste is regularly produced.
  2. If chipping wood is not financially possible, see if there are municipal services available. Try contacting the waste management department or environmental department.
  3. If chipping wood is possible, ??? add it to your annual tree-trimming project plan.

Related action: Compost brown & green landscaping waste
If you have space for composting, set up a compost system. Or see if your municipality has commercial composting services.

Action 2: Create a sustainable plant palette

A sustainable plant palette is a selection of plants that include native plants and resilient plants. Using a sustainable plant palette can help reduce maintenance time and improve the health of the local ecosystem. Once you’ve created your palette, share it with the decision-makers. Make sure to consult your palette when making planting decisions.

Step-by-step

  1. List the plants you currently use. Which ones are hardy? Which ones require more resources (like frequent watering, pesticides, fertilizers)?
  2. Research additional plants that are a good fit for your zone or have other beneficial properties:
    • Native plants
    • Plants for pollinators
    • Resilient plants: drought-tolerant, heat-tolerant, etc., depending on the your local weather variations
    • Beneficial plants: Ones that will provide shade, improve the soil, retain water, etc.
  3. Select the plants that provide the most benefits while requiring fewer resources. This is your plant palette!
  4. Share your palette with those who are making plant and design decisions — landscape architect/designer/clients

For more information on choosing sustainable plants, see this fact sheet from UMass Extension’s Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry program, which includes sustainable alternatives to invasive plants.

Action 3: Switch to organic fertilizer

Organic fertilizers are made from naturally decaying materials, like manure, bone meal, wood, etc. Organic fertilizers are price-competitive to synthetic fertilizers and have many benefits. They enrich the soil, require fewer applications, and have minimal run-off.

Organic fertilizerSynthetic fertilizer
Derived from organic sourcesDerived from natural gas and mined ores. Requires a lot of energy to produce.
Enrich the soil, which feeds the plantFeed the plant
Slower-acting, but long-lasting. May take longer to see results.Fast-acting, quicker results, but can burn & damage plants. 
Requires fewer applicationsRequires more frequent application.
Minimal run-off or leachingUp to a third of Nutrients can be lost from run-off and leaching
Soil improves over timePollution: chemical run-off can [??? hurt] nearby waterways by ?? kicking off algae blooms, which deplete oxygen for fish and wildlife

Source:

Step-by-step

  1. Research and evaluate organic fertilizer types.
  2. Make a plan for the change to organics. You may want to test it in certain areas before switching over completely. You will also need to change the fertilizer application schedule.
  3. Purchase the organic fertilizer and execute on the plan.

For more information on switching to organic fertilizer for crops.

Worker story

“I worked in the communications department of a neighborhood organization. There was pressure to show that the organization was doing everything that we could to be more environmentally-friendly. We were very excited when the landscape manager told us about his ideas to switch to organic fertilizers. Unfortunately, he was met with resistance from the rest of the team. We were able to help by showing that the switch to organics would benefit the organization – we could write about the change in a blog post and share it on social media. Highlighting the brand benefit helped to convince the decision-makers to make the switch.”

Action 4: Conduct water audits

Water audits will help you identify water inefficiencies or overwatering. This will help you conserve water and save on water costs.

Step-by-step

  1. Research local resources. Your regional water resource agency or utility may provide water audits or water auditing software. Some municipalities provide rebates for water audits.
  2. If you’re conducting the audit, please see the resources below for more detailed steps.
    • Site inspection: Identify areas of concern, like dry spots or pooling water. May include soil and landscape assessments to determine soil condition and need for water.
    • Equipment inspection: Make sure that the equipment is operating properly. Check for broken components and the alignment of sprinkler heads.
    • Catch-can field method: Cans are used to collect water to determine precipitation rate and distribution.
    • Update irrigation schedule according to the audit information
  3. Train your staff on noticing water inefficiencies and how to fix irrigation problems quickly.

Resources

Action 5: Use sheet mulching for weed management.

Herbicides like Roundup (glycophosate) can cause serious health problems like liver damage and cancer (NBC News). Sheet mulching is an effective and chemical-free way to manage weeds. It also improves the soil and holds more water. It does require some planning and training the first time, but once the system is implemented, it reduces the need for frequent herbicide application.

Step-by-step

  1. Start before fall planting season – This will give time for the materials to begin the decomposition process.
  2. Prepare the area – Cut plants to the ground. Aerate and amend the soil if needed. Wet the soil.
  3. Add layers of mulch and wet down between layers – There are different recommendations for layer composition and thickness, depending on
    • Nitrogen-rich layer (grass clippings, finished compost, etc.)
    • Newspaper, about ¼” thick
    • Nitrogen-rich layer
    • Cardboard
    • Mulch layer (straw, chipped yard waste, leaves)
  4. Water the sheet mulch regularly, depending on rainfall.

For more information

Bonus: Find allies in other departments and groups

Sustainable landscaping is a topic that many people are interested in and excited to get involved with. The general public is concerned about chemical exposure, the loss of pollinators, and the availability of clean water.

Potential allies

  1. The marketing department
  2. The sustainability or health & environmental safety departments
  3. Student groups that are interested in landscaping and sustainability
  4. Horticultural groups

Contributors: Lydia Woltjer

Table Of Contents
  1. Overview
  2. Action 1: Chip wood to reuse as mulch
  3. Action 2: Create a sustainable plant palette
  4. Action 3: Switch to organic fertilizer
  5. Action 4: Conduct water audits
  6. Action 5: Use sheet mulching for weed management.
  7. Bonus: Find allies in other departments and groups