Dave Fujino, Ph.D., Co-Director of the UC Nursery and Floriculture Alliance at UC Davis presented a live and recorded webinar on March 28th on the data gathered from the SmartLandscape at University of California, Davis. The project is a study that was developed to determine if low water use landscapes could be designed, managed, and maintained to meet Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) in California.

Attendees learned about the concept of the project at UC Davis including the irrigation strategies, design principles, the history behind the science, and the purpose of MWELO.

Fujino explained the legislation, including the 2015 update of MWELO, and how prior to this project here wasn't any data verifying and measuring the applied water to the landscape.

He also gave informative resources like the WUCOLS database for California use and the formulas for Maximum Applied Water Allowance (MAWA) and Estimated Total Water Use (ETWU).

 
SmartLandscapes features numerous value to MWELO research including demonstrated smart irrigation technology, student opportunities, science based research, policy making, and technological resources like robotic mowers and spectral imaging.

To hear more about this interesting concept, click here to register for the OnDemand session to receive the link immediately.

Earn LA/CES HSW, ISA, APLD, PGMS, NALP, and QWEL credit.

Learning Objectives:
1. Low water use landscapes, warm season turfgrass, and mixed shrub and trees, can be designed, installed, managed, and maintained to meet the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance at UC Davis.
2. Measuring and using actual water applied data provides definitive confirmation for MWELO compliance versus using ETWU.
3. The Plant Factor used in the MWELO Performance Approach Estimated Total Water Use formula shall be from WUCOLS or from horticultural researchers with academic institutions or professional associations as approved by the CA Department of Water Resources.

Webinar Description:
In 2019, the California Center for Urban Horticulture, UC Davis, created the SmartLandscape initiative to determine if low water use landscapes could be designed, installed, managed, and maintained to meet the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO). For MWELO performance approach compliance, Maximum Applied Water Allowance (MAWA) is greater than the Estimated Water Use (ETWU). While MWELO compliance is determined by estimating water use for a specific landscape area, the SmartLandscape initiative will validate compliance by measuring Actual Water Applied (AWA). SmartLawn demonstration plots (cool and warm season turf) and SmartScape I were designed and planted irrigated by sub-surface and surface irrigation dispersion and smart controller technology.

This presentation will provide data confirming MWELO compliance of SmartLawn and SmartScape landscapes by utilizing AWA versus ETWU and how AWA data was utilized to confirm calculate the actual plant factors for SmartLawn and SmartScape landscapes. Comparison of AWA plant factors will also be compared to the plant factors assigned by WUCOLS IV. Measuring and employing AWA data is the definitive method for confirming MWELO compliance versus using ETWU for both SmartLawn and SmartScape demonstration landscapes.

Dave Fujino
Dave Fujino has served for more than 17 years as the director of the California Center for Urban Horticulture (CCUH), Co-Director of the UC Nursery and Floriculture Alliance at UC Davis and past Chair of the Saratoga Horticultural Research Endowment. He earned his B.S. in Plant Science at UC Riverside, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from UC Davis in Environmental Horticulture and Plant Physiology. Fujino's experience includes over 17 years in senior level management with a large wholesale horticultural company. His expertise includes organizational development, operations improvement, information technology, strategic planning, marketing, research and development, training, fund raising, and other areas. In 2017, he was inducted into the Green Industry "Hall of Fame" for having a positive impact in the horticulture industry. His current focus is on the implementation of the SmartLandscape initiative at UC Davis, which demonstrates different landscape projects designed to conserve water and to meet the California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance by leveraging current irrigation technologies.

https://landscapewebinars.org/landscape-webinars/webinar/validating-mwelo-compliance-smartlandscape-initiative