Integrated Pest Management Golf Accreditation Audits

Location: Ontario
Client: IPM Council of Canada
Date: 2010 – ongoing

AET is managing and facilitating a 9-member audit team to conduct desk review and on-site audits for over 660 golf courses located throughout Ontario.  Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a process that uses all necessary techniques to suppress pests effectively, economically and in an environmentally sound manner. IPM employs a two-pronged approach of managing the plant environment to prevent problems and using thresholds to decide how and when to treat pests.  The IPM Council of Canada brings together industry associations and groups committed to having IPM as the standard in turf, landscape care, structural and public works vegetation management. The Council believes that science has proven IPM ensures environmental sustainability and the reduction of all inputs including water, fertilizer and pest control products.

The IPM Certification and Accreditation program allows golf clubs to demonstrate their knowledge of and commitment to the principles of IPM through a process of certification, auditing and professional development.  Golf courses thus become IPM Accredited through a reporting and environmental auditing process, the latter of which is managed by AET. The Desk Review audits involve examining golf course document submissions annually to verify compliance with the audit criteria set out by the Ministry of Environment and IPM Council of Canada, completing annual desk review audit checklists, communicating with the IPM Agent at each golf course and submitting completed electronic audit checklists to the IPM Council for notification of accreditation status of the golf club.  The on-site audits are conducted every three years to verify the information submitted in the annual desk review audits for completeness and accuracy.