3%
Qualified Varieties Recognizing that most turf sold today is retailed as part of a blend, TWCA has adopted the policy that blended products must be at least seventy percent (70%) TWCA qualified material to bear the TWCA seal.
TWCA qualification is a time-limited affair; once qualified, varieties retain their qualification for eight years (sixteen years for Kentucky Bluegrasses). Cultivars either lose qualification at the end of their qualification period or they can be re-entered into the TWCA trialing process in hope of requalifying. Because TWCA continues to raise the standards for drought tolerant qualification, any cultivar trying to requalify must meet a new, higher standard for qualification; thus, it is not uncommon for previously qualified cultivars to drop off the qualified cultivars list. Te list of current TWCA qualified varieties can be found at
http://www.tgwca.org/qualified-products/.
Expanding Program;
Expanding Scope TWCA’s commitment to member service is evident not only in the growth of the program’s membership but also in the growth of TWCA’s scope. While the program retains strong focus on trialing and qualification; significant effort goes into advocating for drought tolerant turf and gaining recognition of the considerable differences between cultivars.
In the last two years, TWCA has been instrumental in getting regulatory agencies to recognize the significant water use differences between TWCA qualified cultivars and conventional cultivars of the same species. A significant part of this focus went into California where TWCA Qualified cultivars are the only cool-season grasses recognized as medium water using turfs and where TWCA Plant Factors (PFs) are recognized by the State of California Department of Water Resources for compliance with the Model Water Efficiency Landscape Ordinance (MWELO). MWELO is California’s mandatory minimum requirement for landscape water budgeting and applies to new construction with landscape designs over 500 square feet or rehabilitated landscapes over 2500 square feet.
To capitalize on this major achievement, TWCA created a water budget calculator that calculates and outputs compliance for landscape designs. Tis tool specifically uses TWCA plant factors and is part of the MWELO compliance requirements for the State of California.
TWCA also was instrumental in the removal of “Voluntary Turf Removal” from the 2016 Independent Technical Panel on Demand Management Measures (ITP) report to California State Legislature and in re-focusing the attention of the report away from drought tolerant turf and toward high water using plants in general.
TPI Turf News January/February 2018 37% 1% 7% 33%
Academics Industry Grant Seed Producers Turf Breeders Individual
19% TWCA’s diverse 2017 membership, courtesy of TWCA
In addition, TWCA is recognized as a source for drought tolerant turf in the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council’s Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professionals (CBLP) Maintenance Manual. Te manual, used in the CBLP certification program, is available for free at https://
cblpro.org/study-materials/.
Not all the expanded scope is focused on influencing regulation. TWCA is also deeply invested in helping communities maximize the benefits of drought tolerant turf.
Focus on Foundation TWCA’s focus on membership means the number of “members-only resources” has also increased. For easy communication of membership and qualification, TWCA members have access to the TWCA logos and taglines in several formats. TWCA is making communication to homeowners and end-users even easier with pre-formatted radio copy for one minute, thirty second and fifteen second airtime spots. For members who prefer print ads, TWCA offers preformatted ads in a variety of formats, as well as door hangars that promote the responsible use of turf. Finally, members that use TWCA approved ads in their promotional efforts receive a fifty percent rebate of their membership dues annually, making the program a more affordable option and an instant return on investment.
To make it easier for specifiers to require TWCA qualified materials, the program has created specifier sheets for TWCA qualified sod and seed.
Conclusions Representing a broad spectrum of interests in drought tolerant turf, TWCA has added capacity, expanded services to members and the community at large, and created a broad network of motivated partners and non- profits. If you have questions about how you can improve your efforts to conserve water, please contact
jack.karlin@tgwca.org or become a member today at
http://www.tgwca.org/membership/.
y
Jack Karlin is program administrator for the Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance.
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