BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Photo by A . Siegel-Miles

The following sustainable landscaping best management practices are excerpted from SFMA ’ s National BMP guide , Best Management Practices for the Sports Field Manager : A Professional Guide for Sports Field Management . The full guide , as well as a customizable BMP template , is available at https :// www . sportsfieldmanagement . org / knowledge _ center / bmps /.

While care of sports fields is the highest priority for sports field managers , native areas may also be an important component of sports field managers ’ responsibilities . Landscaped and natural areas provide additional recreational opportunities , such as areas and paths for walking , wildlife habitat , and natural buffers that help delineate field or property boundaries , while also moderating external noise . Maintaining these aesthetically pleasing areas for the safety of recreational users and as sustainably as possible is economically advantageous and supports biodiversity . Developing or expanding naturalized areas may also reduce dependence on water , chemical , and fuel inputs , while allowing more intensive maintenance to be reserved for areas dedicated to sports ( Lyman et al ., 2007 ; Gross and Eckenrode , 2012 ).

Facilities with additional acreage can provide an ideal opportunity for environmental stewardship and conservation . Vegetated areas with a greater diversity of plant species support wildlife by providing forage and habitat ( Tallamy , 2009 ). Less intensively managed vegetation ( e . g ., tall grass and naturalized areas ) directly correlates with a higher biodiversity for plants , animals and insects ( Colding and Folke , 2009 ; Dobbs and Potter , 2013 ). Properties can contribute to plant and pollinator diversity by expanding natural habitat throughout the property , both in the native areas and in high-visibility areas , such as the property surrounding outbuildings and parking lots .

28 SportsField Management | June 2023 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com