Ground Cover Under Tree Canopies on the Allegheny College Campus: Assessment and Recommendations

Miller, Molly

Ground Cover Under Tree Canopies on the Allegheny College Campus: Assessment and Recommendations

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10456/57590

Author(s)

Miller, Molly

Date Issued

April 23, 2024

Abstract

Landscaping for several decades has been dominated by two main forces, grass and mulch. When looking into common patterns in landscaping it will almost always be seen as the recommendation of one of these two components in your garden or green space. Urban green spaces are dominated by grass, with approximately 75% of the spaces having a high majority of grass and mulch. Allegheny College is following these common trends and has very high percentages of both materials on campus. This is an issue because grass and mulch are not the ideal option that should be used. There are several disadvantages to using high percentages of both materials. Grass has many issues with input versus output returns and for mulch, many of the disadvantages come from improper application methods. Some of the most critical areas in a forest are under the canopy of the trees. Here there is a convergence of many different living organisms, not only the trees and plants but additionally mammals, birds, and insects. The area under the canopy of a tree has great potential to have very high levels of biodiversity. The variety of the plants in this area is a stable indicator of the animal or insect species diversity in the area. Essentially the more variety in plants in this area then the better the levels of biodiversity there will be. My goal of this project was to create an under canopy planting guide, and replace portions of mulch and grass under the tree canopies with native vegetation. I gathered information on estimated canopy area and mulch size on the main campus which I then coupled with a plant recommendation list and long-term management guide. Increasing the rates of native vegetation will promote higher levels of biodiversity, in both plant and animal populations. The transition to native plants is also more cost effective than the current mulching protocol. Finally this plan will allow Allegheny College to align themselves more closely with our overall sustainability goals.

Major

Environmental Science and Sustainability

Honors

Environmental Science and Sustainability, 2024

First Reader(s)

Bowden, Richard D.