National Park Service Landscaping U.S. Department of the Interior Environmental Leadership Program

Planting Green Ideas Native landscaping at Zion National Park Sustainable landscaping practices add beauty and maintain a sense of place while helping to protect park resources, restore native , eliminate pollutants, and conserve water and energy. Such environmentally benefi cial plantings require fewer and chemicals, minimize mowing, weeding and watering, and reduce equipment use and labor compared to conventional landscaping.

The National Park Service is a proven leader in landscaping with native and accurately restoring landscapes to historic conditions. Such environmental commitment works to ensure successful stewardship of the nation's most important natural and cultural resources for present and future generations. Select plants that are native or adapted to the site. National Park Service Landscaping U.S. Department of the Interior Environmental Leadership Program

Sandstone Visitor Center landscaping features soil contours that collect runoff.

New River Gorge National River: Sandstone Visitor Center

Located east of Beckley, West Virginia, the park. The quarry site was regraded, creating Educational signs feature explanations of Sandstone Visitor Center is a showcase for drainage swales to capture runoff from the water- and energy-efficient technologies that green design principles that extend beyond parking lot. Well-planned contours now are utilized throughout the site. A sound the building to the surrounding environs. retain stormwater and clean the water before investment in natural habitat restoration, it reaches the river, creating small wetland the project also included cultivation of native Construction of the new visitor center for wildlife along the way. plants by a local nursery. Park staff then occurred on the site of a former rock quarry, recreated three old-field successional stages leaving other parklands undisturbed. Landscaping with native plants ensured that (stages between bare ground and forest) Restoration of the quarry was the foundation less water, , and would where woody plants will begin to take over. of the project, linking the site to the be necessary in the future, while providing The only maintenance required is mowing a conservation and interpretation of the more suitable habitat for . small area once each year.

Native Plants Beat Green Maintenance

Native materials not only enhance Fertilizers or amendments are applied with the character of a site, they conserve consideration to the physical, chemical, or water, improve wildlife habitat, and reduce biological characteristics of the soil, biological maintenance. Native plant groupings occur , and surface or groundwater. in combinations unique to an area where As staff work to maintain and restore park they are adapted to local weather and soil landscapes, they must also address drainage conditions. Careful selection of such plantings problems, stabilize eroded areas, reduce and implementation of water-conserving stormwater runoff, and conduct water audits. “Xeriscape” principles can eliminate the need Ensuring that all surfaces are permeable can for fertilizers and pest control chemicals while slow and direct surface water runoff into reducing replacement plant costs. planted areas and encourage groundwater recharge. Natural mulches including local National parks work to restore native plant rocks, leaf litter, and bark (rather than populations and minimize human impacts on fine hardwood mulches and plastic films) native species and the processes that sustain enhance park conservation objectives. Park them. On-site propagation of plants from landscaping that includes mulches, hoses, Volunteers remove invasive iceplant to protect local seed sources can help maintain local native species at Point Reyes National Seashore. edging, timbers, posts, and with genetic composition and that is recycled content also provides practical threatened by invasive plants. Some invasives Green landscape maintenance includes examples to the public. produce significant changes to vegetation conserving water and energy while avoiding composition, structure, or function. or reducing the use of , , National parks also use an Integrated Pest With few or no natural enemies to limit and fertilizers to minimize impacts on the Management (IPM) Program to address pest their reproduction and distribution, non- natural environment and human health. issues. This method coordinates knowledge native invasives such as purple loosestrife National parks that preserve historic or of pest biology, the environment, and and tamarisk rob water and nutrients from cultural legacies present special landscaping technology to prevent pest damage, while natural habitat, leaving vulnerable species challenges. Plantings at these sites include minimizing risk to natural systems. struggling to survive. Techniques to prevent those native to the park as well as species invasions include crowding areas with native historically appropriate for the period or Note: The word “Xeriscape,” used here with permission, was plants (shading), reducing soil disturbance, developed by the Denver Water Department in 1981 to help event commemorated. In these cases, park make water-conserving landscaping an easily recognized and using “dry” landscaping methods to managers must balance maintaining historic concept. The word is a combination of “landscape” and the inhibit germination of invasive plants. views and vegetation patterns with a wide Greek word “xeros,” which means “dry.” variety of conservation priorities. Find Out More to maintain non-native plantings is avoided in national parks unless it is • Source Book on Natural Landscaping for necessary for park objectives and adequate Public Officials: water supplies are available. Parks practice www.epa.gov/glnpo/greenacres/toolkit/ low water use with drip irrigation and appropriate timing of water applications. • Green Seal: www.greenseal.org Where national park objectives require maintenance, park staff avoid overwatering • Environmentally and Economically and work to plant grasses that require less Beneficial Practices on Federal water. “Grasscycling”—leaving lawn clippings Landscaped Grounds: in place while mowing—reduces water and http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/npr/library/ fertilizer requirements, mowing time, and direct/memos/25f2.html disposal costs. As grass clippings decompose, they return nutrients to the soil and reduce • Greening the Department of the Interior: On-site in or other evaporation. Leaving mowed clippings in www.doi.gov/greening/sustain/land confined park areas can support restoration efforts. place saves time, money, and landfill space.

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