Hello,

For STARS Grounds Tier Two Credit 1, "prioritizes" does not mean that only native plant species are used in landscaping. What it means is that the institution has a program, policy, or practice which favors the use of native plant species over non-native species. The Reporting Field for this credit requires that "A brief description of the native plant program, policy, or practice" be provided to earn this credit.

Susan Jane Gentile

STARS Content Specialist

AASHE

Hi Susan,

I was wondering if AASHE would consider replacing the wording of the STARS Grounds Tier Two Credit 1 to a program, policy, or practice which restricts the use of, and supports the removal of species known to be invasive in the geographic region of a campus as opposed to one that "prioritizes" the use of native species over non-native species. I think from a plant conservation best practices perspective restricting and removal of invasive species is more critical to sustainability than favoring the planting of native taxa over nonnative taxa.

Some non-native taxa are very well suited for more urban environments, which no longer reflect the original 'native' environment and are quite 'well behaved' regarding not being invasive. For example, the ginkgo tree native to China is an excellent street tree for us here on campus, it has not shown any sign of being invasive and the cultivars available in the trade are restricted to male trees, so there is no chance for reproduction. There are also many hybrids in the landscape trade that are crosses between non-native taxa and native taxa. A good example is the new disease resistant dogwoods that are a cross between our native dogwood, *Cornus florida*, and the Asian or kousa dogwood, *Cornus kousa*. So would this hybrid be considered a "native" or "nonnative"? The large majority of flowering crabapples must be assumed to be non-native.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Frank W. Telewski, Ph.D.
Professor and Curator
W.J. Beal Botanical Garden and Campus Arboretum
Michigan State University

Professor Telewski,

Thank you for your ideas regarding the STARS Grounds Tier Two Credit 1. I will share your suggestions with the Grounds Technical Advisor Work Group so that they may consider your ideas as they make recommendations for improvements to the Grounds credits for STARS 2.0.

Thanks again,
Susan Jane Gentile
STARS Content Specialist
AASHE

Hi. I'm currently teaching a course on Invasive Species and I find Dr. Telewski's comments particularly valid. Management of our "made" environment is a complicated affair. Policies should include both "promotion" (natives) and "avoidance" (exotics, particularly invasive species) and also "restoration" (removal and replacement). It would be great to see the STARS system address this with an evolving-systems approach, albeit may be more difficult to assess/score.

~EAS