States Departments of Agriculture Support Turfgrass Benefits Study

Earlier this year, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture unanimously adopted a resolution supporting a federal study of the potential benefits preserving and maintaining turfgrass and greenspaces are, even in drought prone areas.  A growing number of studies suggest that overly aggressive turfgrass removal and restrictions on green space sizes in residential and community settings can have unintended consequences such as increased ambient temperatures (heat islands), lost carbon sequestration, lost oxygen production – and harm to trees and canopy cover.

Cities in Florida, Texas, Arizona, North Carolina now routinely appear on “the hot list,” along with more familiar places like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Albuquerque. 

The study, when complete, potentially supports growing sentiment that homeowners should instead be incentivized or minimally encouraged to replace their older, less water efficient grasses with newer grasses that have been shown to require less water, while still allowing homeowners to maintain a greener landscape.   Homeowners continue to largely resist existing incentives to remove their turf, so “turf conversion” could be a significant option to encourage overall water conservation at home.

The study proposal is gaining support among Congressional lawmakers and may be included in a near-future Senate appropriations bill.