Landscape Services

 

General 

The LSU Landscape Services department maintains over 1,200 acres of grounds to enhance the outdoor environment of the Baton Rouge campus. Our goal is to promote and maintain exterior spaces that provide safe and aesthetically pleasing outdoor areas that welcome visitors and enhance the learning experiences for students, faculty, and staff. Landscape Services is considered an essential function of the University and therefore maintains contingencies and protocols for hurricanes, inclement weather, and emergencies. Additionally, the department serves all of Facility Services, Athletics, Residential Life, and others with an elevated dumping platform for solid waste, organics, construction debris, concrete and metal recycling, as well as a staging area for other materials. The department is a full-service organization and supports any activity taking place on the LSU grounds. 

Grounds 

Crews are tasked with large scale and yard sized mowing, edging, blowing hard surfaces, picking litter, cleaning drains and air wells, pruning ornamental plants, applying weed control herbicides, and fertilizing and supporting events with set up and clean-up activities. Crews operate a variety of equipment in these activities from large tractors and mowers to hand tools. The LSU campus is staffed 6 days per week and works several 7-day weeks each year to optimize opportunities related to weather and the campus calendar. Offsite locations, supplemental labor, and contractors are managed by this group.   

Horticulture & Irrigation 

LSU enjoys excellent horticultural oversight by degreed employees responsible for the many azaleas, camellias, magnolias, sweet olives, and other southern ornamentals and tree-formed plants beloved by the community. Crews work in every area of the campus from indoor settings to the LSU Mascot Tiger Habitat. They are heavily involved in many events around the year and intimately involved in planning and project implementation as they work with the LSU Landscape Architects. The LSU Irrigation crew works in conjunction with all other personnel in the department to install and maintain systems. LSU has migrated to a web based, Wi-Fi system for irrigation control to reduce water usage and manpower and provide a platform for retrofitting older systems and expanding new ones. 

Projects & Concrete 

A crew of Concrete Finishers and others are involved in the daily tasks of repairing broken curbs, uneven sidewalks, brick repair, drain basin re-construction, and other activities involving the repair and extension of asset life for hard surfaces and drainage across the LSU campus. This crew also works on new construction for in-house designs to add elements for pedestrian use such as pavers, benches, walkways, and other structures. This is a versatile, talented crew that is available for many different maintenance duties as needed. 

Arboriculture 

The Landscape Department is fortunate to have two licensed Arborists skilled in the care of the priceless Southern Live Oak trees gracing the LSU campus. A full complement of equipment allows this crew to perform planting, pruning, dead wood removal & hazard reduction, harvesting, chipping, stump grinding, soil injection, foliar application of pesticides, cabling & bracing, mulching, and other activities related to the proper care of the LSU campus Urban Forest. Also, record keeping and management of the LSU Live Oak Endowment fall under this group's operational duties. 

Equipment Repair Shop 

A robust repair shop is staffed by a certified mechanic and other repair technicians to maintain a fleet of mowers, tractors, street sweepers, backhoes, a man-lift, tree working and other specialized equipment to hold down repair times, assure redundancy, and in general keep the department equipped day to day. This effort is considerable and is supported by a manager and several multi-task and cross-trained personnel to rotate into the shop when needed. Services are extended to other LSU entities as needed to help with other equipment not housed at Landscape. 

Solid Waste and Recycle 

A vendor provides daily solid municipal waste and recycle services across the LSU campus. Solid waste is managed by Landscape Services and recycling is managed by Campus Sustainability. Additionally, Landscape Services is responsible for event clean up and special projects for organic removals, building occupant work/clean outs, project/event related activities and all recycling efforts outside of the buildings. Interior recycling is managed by Campus Sustainability utilizing recycling containers in the classrooms and offices, e-waste, exterior litter and recycle containers numbering several hundred, and solid waste and recycle front load containers numbering more than 210 total. LSU Football games and scheduled community sponsored events are also a major responsibility of this area of service by Landscape Services.