Here are useful tools and resources for municipalities and landscape professionals that make it easier to earn points and meet the requirements on the Bay-Friendly Landscape Scorecard and design, build, and maintain Bay-Friendly Rated Landscapes.

Landscape Standards     

Training and Policies

Case Studies

Tools -- Organized by Bay-Friendly Landscape Scorecard Categories

• Site Planning
• Earthwork and Soil Health
• Materials
• Planting
• Maintenance
• Innovation

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Landscape Standards

Bay-Friendly Landscaping Guidelines: Sustainable Practices for the Landscape Professional This 62 page guide is written for the professional landscape industry as a way to provide an integrated approach to environmentally friendly landscaping. Download as a PDF Request a free printed copy (Only for professionals with clients in Alameda County) Professionals without clients in Alameda County can purchase a copy from www.bayfriendlycoalition.com
Bay-Friendly Landscape Scorecard The scorecards track and score Bay-Friendly features incorporated into the design and construction of new landscapes. Download as Excel spreadsheets. for New Civic, Commercial and Multifamily Landscapes for New Home
Bay-Friendly Rating Manuals These manuals are essential tools to achieve a Bay-Friendly Rated Landscape. They are written for landscape design and construction professionals and Bay-Friendly Landscape Raters, as guides in describing and verifying the practices in the Bay-Friendly Landscape Scorecard. for New Civic, Commercial and Multifamily Landscapes v1, March 2009 Bay-Friendly Rating Manual for New Homes v1, March 2009
Bay-Friendly Gardening Guide This 70+ page guide is written for the home gardener  and provides how-to information , a design survey, profiles of East Bay gardens, and much more. Download as a PDF

Trainings and Policies

• Bay-Friendly Landscape Professional Qualification Training
  The Bay-Friendly Landscape Training and Qualification program provides professionals hands-on training in Bay-Friendly practices and tools in addition to recognition as a “Bay-Friendly Qualified Professional” on our agency website and in local ads.
  
  • Landscape Design Professionals
  • Landscape Maintenance Professionals
    
• Model Bay-Friendly Policies & Ordinances
  Encourage more Bay-Friendly Rated Landscapes in your community with model policies and ordinances addressing public sector and private sector landscape development.

Case Studies

• Bay-Friendly Rated Landscape Case Studies
  Learn about real projects that were third-party verified and rated as Bay-Friendly Landscapes in Alameda County from civic landscapes at libraries, fire stations and street medians to office parks and affordable housing.

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 Tools Organized by Bay-Friendly Landscape Scorecard Categories

Site Planning

• Bay-Friendly Landscape Site Analysis
  The Site Analysis Form is worth 5 points on the Bay-Friendly Landscape Scorecard if completed during the design phase of the project. It is designed to: insure a thorough review of existing conditions at a project site; evaluate opportunities to maximize the benefits of incorporating Bay-Friendly Landscaping practices; and document these conditions for the benefit of the property owner and project team.

Earthwork and Soil Health

• Bay-Friendly Section 329300 Plants (Word document)
  Provides a model specification that incorporates several key requirements and points on the Bay-Friendly Landscape scorecard such as soil testing, amending the soil with compost and organic amendments, soil preparation, requiring three inches of recycled mulch, and integrated or organic pest management.
• A Bay-Friendly Landscaping Guide to Mulch 
  An introduction to the use of mulch in the landscape. Includes a breakdown of recycled mulch types and uses, and provides details and specifications for sheet mulching.
  • Una Guia Bay-Friendly Landscaping Sobre El Mantillo
    A Spanish version of A Bay-Friendly Landscaping Guide to Mulch
• A Case Study- Mulch
  Provides an example of a local landscaper's success with chipping and reusing plant debris as mulch on the landscapes they maintain.
• Compost and Mulch Sources and Product Information 
  This is a list of local sources for compost and recycled mulch.
• Caltrans Compost Blanket Specification (coming soon)

Materials

• Bay-Friendly Landscaping Guide to Recycled Content and Salvaged Materials (pdf)
  Guide on how to add value, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create attractive landscapes using salvaged and recycled-content materials in the landscape. Includes types and sources of materials as well as a section on using “urbanite”.
• Builders Guide to Reuse & Recycling 
  A guide to help Alameda County builders, contractors and residents reuse and recycle construction and demolition materials
• Green Product Directory
  On line tool developed by Build It Green which provides a directory of “green” products for sustainable landscaping and building.
• Recycled Content Park & Recreation Products in Alameda County
  PDF fact sheet.
• Alameda County Waste Management Authority Section 01505 Construction and Demolition Waste Management (pdf)
  Model specification for waste management and recycling of construction and demolition debris.
• Green Building in Alameda County Debris Recovery Plan Pre-Demolition/Pre-Construction (pdf)
  Table to track and document recycling of waste generated through the project.

Planting

• BFL Plant Legend Template 
  Use this template for your plant list to insure that you are meeting the Bay-Friendly requirements for low-water using plants and providing adequate space for plants to reach mature size.
• BFL Example of a filled in Plant Legend
  See an example of a filled in Plant Legend that meets the Bay-Friendly requirements.
• Bay-Friendly Plant Lists
  Provides a list of plants for key Bay-Friendly practices such as avoiding sheared hedges, minimizing lawns and stormwater management.
  • Natural Hedges
  • Lawn Alternatives & Groundcovers
  • Vegetated Swale
• See Bay-Friendly Section 329300 Plants

Maintenance

• Model Bay-Friendly Landscape Maintenance Specifications (pdf)
• Model Bay-Friendly Landscape Maintenance Task List (coming)
• A Landscapers Guide to Grasscycling
  A how-to for grasscycling that results in healthy, attractive turf, including tips from local landscapers and other Bay-Friendly Lawn care recommendations.
• Una Guia del Jardinero para Reciclar Pasto 
  Spanish version of the "A Landscaper's Guide to Grasscycling".
• A Case Study: Grasscycling
  Provides an example of a local landscaper's success with grasscycling.

Innovation

• Bay-Friendly Sample RFP Language for a Landscape Design Team
  Model language to incorporate into a Request For Proposalslfor a landscape design team to design a civic landscape as a Bay-Friendly Rated Landscape.
• Section 01325 Bay-Friendly Landscaping Requirements (pdf)
  Model specification language that requires the landscape to be built as a Bay-Friendly Rated Landscape. Provides a definition of Bay-Friendly and lists submittal requirements. Earns innovation credits.
• Bay-Friendly Signage Directions (pdf)
  Provides samples of education signage on Bay-Friendly practices and specifications that have earned innovation credits in the past.

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