Transitions to Fine Fescues

Research Purpose

To develop low-input, fine fescues that support multiple public and private uses in diverse landscapes.

Authors

Michael R. Barnes and Kristen C. Nelson, with support from Eric Watkins, Alec Kowalewski, Aaron Patton, Paul Koch, & James Murphy

Background & Objectives

What are the perceptions of public land managers on a variety of topics related to fine fescue turfgrasses including the selection of turfgrasses, the role that they should play within the landscape, and perceived barriers and opportunities for transitioning to low-input turfgrasses such as fine fescues.

To gain insights on this, we conducted six focus groups with 31 total participants at field day events in New Jersey, Indiana, & Oregon. Managers represented a variety of institutions and organizations from municipal land managers to golf course superintendents. Some of these managers worked in organizations where they were the sole individual in charge of land management and others were part of large teams with specialized jobs. They represented diverse public lands across the urban to rural gradient.

Findings & Insights

The results of the focus groups are summarized on the following webpages in several key takeaways that were consistent across the locations. Each takeaway is a general area of concern, followed by what the research group has done or will do to address it.

More results from this project:

For more information on fine fescues, please visit the Resources page on this site.

a group of people attending a field day