In May 2009, with guidance from the New Jersey Environmental Federation (NJEF), Cherry Hill Township adopted an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) policy for public land and open spaces overseen by the municipality. IPM is a method of managing insects, undesired plants, and plant diseases with the tools that are least likely to impact human health or the environment. It involves developing a comprehensive plan, which the Township has done through codifying new guidelines for maintenance of municipal open spaces, parks and facilities. It also means monitoring pest-prone sites to ensure detection and identification of a problem, and recognizing a threshold where a pest issue requires action.

Since implementing an IPM policy, Township officials, maintenance workers and DPW grounds crews have attended training hosted by the NJEF (August ’09), receiving IPM certification. Starting January 2010, the Township has begun extending its new IPM policy to municipally owned lands under the care of other public entities – such as athletic organizations and the public library – as well as to the community garden patches at the Barclay Farmstead, offering support, resources and education. The Township also continues to offer education to residents and businesses, publishing articles and tips (see below) on green landscaping and methods for adaptations of IPM on private properties.

Briefly stated: Cherry Hill Township’s IPM plan calls for low-impact, non-chemical actions for typical pest problems, monitors pest levels, sets action thresholds for chemical intervention (as a last resort), and evaluates success of a coordinated array of tools for controlling pests, in order to best mitigate future problems.

It includes the provision for a town-wide “Pesticide-Free-Zone” (PFZ) campaign, wherein distinctive PFZ signage is visible throughout Township parks, playgrounds and tot lots – clearly indicating the Township’s policy for grounds maintenance. Similarly, if a chemical treatment is deemed appropriate for a particularly aggressive or threatening pest problems, proper temporary signage will be put up in these zones to alert passers-by of a toxin’s presence.

 Residents can also play a role in making outdoor spaces more sustainable: To extend the IPM/green movement from the hundreds of acres of municipal land to the thousands of acres of privately owned land in Cherry Hill, the Township is urging residents and businesses to join the front against pesticides, herbicides and other toxic treatments for natural ailments. A collective reduction in outdoor chemical usage will, in turn, significantly reduce hazardous exposure to same for the elderly, children and pets – in addition to lessening the impact of stormwater run-off, which is often rife with such toxins as they wash from lawns and gardens during periods of rain.

The easiest, most cost effective way to a beautiful, healthy landscape is to work with nature, not against it. A healthy lawn or garden needs nutrients and microbe-rich soil to develop deep rooted, dense turf or plants that compete successfully with weeds. In that vein, pesticides are not necessary to maintaining attractive, thriving green space; in fact, they can do more harm than good, as they kill the microbial life necessary for healthy soil, and can kill a pest’s natural enemies – inviting disease and insect infestation, potentially triggering an unhealthy, costly chemical cycle.

DIY (Do-It-Yourself) tips for chemical-free yard-care at home: 

• Make your own insect repellent by adding a pureed garlic clove or a tablespoon of liquid dish detergent to a gallon of water for spray on pest-riddled plants; experiment with concentrations until you find one that does the trick.

• Spot-treat scattered weeds with vinegar to minimize herbicide use by mixing 5 parts white vinegar, 2 parts water, 1 part dish soap; apply with a hand pump sprayer. (Note: Vinegar can burn grass and garden plants, so be sure to spot-treat weeds only.)

• Physically pulling or cutting weeds is also effective; remove as much of the root system as possible to reduce the chance of re-growth

• Control lawn weeds with corn gluten (available at most home/garden stores). This nontoxic byproduct of corn processing kills weed seedlings within days of application while adding nitrogen to your soil. Studies have shown that just one application before weeds emerge can reduce weed survival by 60 percent; and, after several years of applying this method, corn-gluten can provide as much as 90-percent weed-control.

• Water lawn or landscaping early in the morning, as much of the water from daytime watering is lost to evaporation. Avoid overwatering your lawn – it’s more damaging than under-watering.

• Leave grass clippings on the lawn (aka “grass-cycling”). This practice – recommended in the Township’s solid-waste and recycling ordinance – not only provides nutrients to your yard (nitrogen, phosphorus, water) equivalent to one application of fertilizer, but it saves taxpayers money otherwise spent on the collection of clippings with other curbside yard-waste, which can be immense during the summer mowing months. (Note: Research indicates clippings do not cause thatch – a popular misnomer.)

• Mulching mowers, which help the clippings hide in the grass, are widely available in hardware and home/garden stores. For effective grass-cycling, wait until the lawn is 3 inches tall, then set the mower height to remove 1 inch. The clippings left on the lawn will quickly disappear from view.

For more information, visit the NJEF’s Web site at: www.CleanWaterAction.org/State_focus/NJEF