FIU LandscapeAshley Casanovas, Michelle Kaufman, Jane Rodriguez, and Chelsea Torres

Tree Campus USA

Awarded to Campuses that:• Form a Campus Tree Advisory

Committee• Develop a campus tree care

plan• Create campus tree program

with annual expenditures• Participate in Arbor Day

observance• Complete a service learning

project

FIU: Tree Campus USA Video

Origins of FIU Trees

The Coconut tree is native to the islands in the

Western Pacific

The Royal Palm grows naturally in Florida, the

Bahamas, and the Yucatan Peninsula Located between GC and OE Located between GC and GL

FIU Trees

The Seagrape is native to coastal

beaches in Florida, Barbados, the Bahamas, and

BermudaLocated by PC

The Guapuruvu is native to Brazil and

Costa Rica

Juvenile Mature

Located in OE atrium

Invasive Species at FIU49 not native225 Native13 Threatened

Oyster Plant

Brazilian PepperScarlett Milkweed• More money is often spent on

native species because of insect infestations

• Many non native species are planted because they are more resistant to these infestations

Irrigation

The campus is irrigated in the evening to lessen the time the grass stays wet to reduce fungus outbreaks

The system has flow meters to monitor how many gallons of water arebeing used

The system also has a rain sensor so it doesn’t go off when it rains

Fertilizer UseInsecticides, fungicides, herbicides, and

organic & inorganic fertilizers are used.A variety of herbicides and fertilizers used

are labeled as environmentally friendly Fertilizer is only applied to areas that really

need itOrganic vs inorganic depends on budget and

the nutritional requirements of the areUsing organic fertilizer leads to a higher

carbon footprint because it needs to be applied more often, resulting in more emissions from the vehicles used around campus

Fertilizer Use

FIU has established an Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM)

By applying knowledge about a certain pest, IPM prevents it from damaging the landscape

IPM responds to pest problems with the least risk options only when the numbers of pests or other problems exceed high levels.

Disposal of Plants

Most of FIU’s landscape debris is chipped into mulch or composted.

FIU Nature Preserve

The preserve contains three South Florida ecosystems

It includes both native andnon native species There are efforts to

remove invasivespecies

The biodiversity has attracted different organisms including 80 species of birds and 12 types of butterflies

FIU Lakes All are man-made Used as retention ponds

Collects rain waterto prevent flooding

Checked for dissolvedoxygen, water temperature, PH, clarity and nitrate levels

Many lakes have fountains to oxygenate the water

Lake by GL

Alternatives

There should be more money invested in using organic fertilizer or incorporating electric vehicles to get around campus so that there are less emissions

Since many invasive species are used as decoration, native plants should be an alternative