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Backyard Habitat Certification Criteria

CERTIFICATION LEVELS

Silver:
  • Remove 100% of "silver" aggressive weeds from property
  • Naturescape at least 5% of available property with native plants
  • Include at least 3 out of 5 canopy levels
  • Pick at least one item from each of the Stormwater and Wildlife Stewardship menus
  • Develop plan to reach Gold Certification (recommended)
 Gold:
  • Meet all requirements of Silver level
  • Remove 100% of "gold" aggressive weeds from property
  • Naturescape at least 15% of available property with native plants
  • Include at least 4 of the 5 canopy levels
  • Pick two items from each of Stormwater and Wildlife Stewardship menus
  • Develop plan to reach Platinum Certification (recommended)
 Platinum:
  • Meet all requirements of Silver and Gold levels
  • Remove 100% of "platinum" aggressive weeds from property
  • Naturescape at least 50% of property with native plants
  • Include at least 5 out of 5 canopy levels
  • Pick three items from each of Stormwater and Wildlife Stewardship menus
  • Pick one item from Education and Volunteerism menu

Five Canopy levels: groundcover, small/medium shrubs, large shrubs, small trees, and large trees

MENU ITEMS

Wildlife Stewardship
  • Have a wildlife water feature
  • Have avian nest boxes for native species
  • Have bat houses
  • Have Mason bee houses
  • Keep cats indoors at all times, or in an outdoor enclosure
  • Have a snag or decomposing nurse log
  • Reduce outdoor lighting
  • Reduce bird window collisions
  • Have a native meadow with a mix of 3-season-blooming forbs and grasses

 Stormwater Management**
  • Have a large canopy tree for stormwater absorption
  • Disconnect downspouts (where appropriate)
  • Have a rain garden
  • Grass or impervious pavement on less than 5% of property (minus house)
  • Have an ecoroof
  • Take the Metro "No Pesticides Pledge" (required for gold)
  • Decommission all or part of an existing irrigation system
  • No use of moderate or high hazard chemicals (See Metro Grow Smart Grow Safe Guide)
  • Use a rain sensor on an exisiting irrigation system
**Stormwater options are different for each property. It is important to research the most appropriate items for your site before implementation.		 Education and Volunteerism
  • Recruit 2 neighbors
  • Allow site/yard to be showcased in garden tours or Metro tour
  • Volunteer for Certification Program and/or mentor other Backyard Habitat homeowners
  • Attend continuing education classes
  • Participate in OSU Extension Master Gardener Programs
  • Become a trained "Weed Watcher" through the Early Detection Rapid Response Program

 

Aggressive Weeds

Silver Weeds

  • False Brome, Pokeweed, Garlic Mustard, Butterfly Bush, Yellow Flag Iris, Purple Loosestrife, Knotweed, Traveler’s Joy, Ivy (all cultivars), Giant Hogweed, Himalayan Blackberry, Gorse, Meadow Hawkweed, Pampas Grass, Spotted/Meadow and Diffuse knapweeds, Policeman's Helmet 

Gold Weeds

  • Shining and Robert Geranium, Hedge Bindweed, Lesser Celandine, Spurge Laurel, Scot's Broom, Yellow Archangle, Purple Star thistle, Evergreen Blackberry, Norway Maple*, Tree-of-heaven*, English Holly* (*Large trees exempt for gold but not for Platinum level)

Platinum Weeds

  • Spatulaleaf Loosestrife, Large and Small-leaf Periwinkle, "weedy" Fennel, Reed Canarygrass, creeping buttercup

 

Download a printable .pdf version of the BHCP Criteria HERE

 

 
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