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Office of Environmental Policy

Pest and Plant Management

Intergrated Pest Management

Integrated pest management (IPM) is a sustainable approach to managing pests. IPM practitioners base decisions on information that is collected systematically as they integrate economic, environmental, and social goals. IPM applies to any situation, agricultural or urban, and is flexible enough to accommodate the changing demands of agriculture, commerce, and society. As both a major landscaper and groundskeeper, and home to tremendous technical expertise on IPM in Cooperative Extension, UConn is committed to utilize its resources to improving IPM practices.

IPM emphasizes the integration of many pest suppression technologies:

  • Biological control: beneficial organisms that manage pests.
  • Cultural control: crop rotation, sanitation, and other practices that reduce pest problems.
  • Mechanical and physical controls: for example, traps, cultivation, and temperature modification.
  • Chemical control: judicious use of pesticides and other chemicals.
  • Genetic control (host plant resistance): traditional selective breeding and new biotechnology that produce pest-resistant crops.
  • Regulatory control: state and federal regulations that prevent the spread of pest organisms

IPM Effort Goals:

  1. Review UConn's current lawn and turf chemical application practices.
  2. Share information about recent developments in IPM within the workgroup.
  3. Outline an official University IPM Plan for minimizing the use of pesticides and herbicides.

Project Background

The IPM workgroup is strategically organized to bring together UConn Facilities and Athletics Division staff and contractors, who oversee maintenance of lawn and turf areas on campus, with Plant Science and Agricultural Extension faculty who specialize in IPM education and research, along with other interested students, faculty and staff, in order to review UConn's current lawn and turf pesticide application practices and to share information about recent developments in IPM. By bringing both staff and faculty 'to the table' the University has ensured that UConn is currently using pesticides responsibly, and will continue to do so in the future.

Click here to view the final statement of the workgroup or here to view UConn's current IPM program.

Invasive Plant Species Management

In 2005, several University students, faculty, and staff collaborated on completing a full review the current invasive plant management measures and practices at the University of Connecticut. The group members hoped that this full review would ensure utilization of those practices that best reduce ecological impact, while allowing for efficient management of state-listed invasive plant species. As a result of this process, an initial Invasive Plant Species Management Plan has been drafted and submitted to the University's Arboretum Committee for potential endorsement. In addition, the University's Sustainable Design Guidelines, released in November 2004, provides additional guidance for protecting sites and water resources through invasive plant species management.

Past News Articles: