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Landscape Management Contracts and Specifications
Some common landscape practices waste water, pollute streams with fertilizers and pesticides, may harm families’ health, and often harm plant health too. But there is a better way.
Healthy landscape guidelines for property owners and landscape businesses
Homeowners associations, developers, and commercial property owners can use the documents below to contract for healthy landscape maintenance services or guide their own staff and residents. These natural landscaping practices help create landscapes that need less water, fertilizer and pesticides; are easier to maintain; are healthier for residents; and are more attractive for higher property values.
The documents are written to provide an Integrated Pest Management approach to landscape maintenance. Preventative, cultural and physical approaches are required. Pesticide applications are allowed, but only in specific circumstances and with owner approval.
The documents can be adapted to fit a variety of sites: commercial properties, schools and institutions, new developments, or homeowners associations. The sections allowing for limited, specified pesticide uses are discrete and can be eliminated from the contract to create a fully organic process document.
Maintenance guides and specifications
Landscape professionals from around the Northwest contributed to the documents listed below. Download them to obtain cost-effective best practices for any site:
Landscape Maintenance Agreement (Word Document, 105KB)
Landscape Maintenance Standards and Specifications (Word Document, 178KB)
Another similar Example Landscape Management Plan (Word Document, 178KB) was developed for use in Seattle Green Factor urban developments.
Natural Landscaping: Design, Build, Maintain (PDF) – is a set of brief guidelines and resources for professionals, from initial landscape design through construction into long-term maintenance.
For help "greening" existing contracts and specifications - or to share environmentally-friendly landscape specifications - contact lisa.niehaus@kingcounty.gov at 206-263-3046.
