Airfields
Effective wildlife control is essential for maintaining airport safety.
Wildlife are naturally drawn to open areas of airfields. Commonly used turfgrasses, as well as the weeds and insects that live within the turf, are sought-after food sources which attract wildlife. Aircraft collisions with birds and other wildlife are a known serious safety issue in the aviation industry. Facilities taking a proactive approach to this growing problem will gain the greatest safety improvements.
Turfgrass management practices are a key component to accomplish wildlife control results. Adding simple overseeding processes of existing turfgrasses with mowing can begin the growth of FlightTurf® on your airfield. The method of using and maintaining FlightTurf® as a monoculture of turfgrass on an airfield provides one of the best additional layers of results.
Case Study
AIRFIELD ERIE, PA 2011 (ERI)
In 2011 ERI successfully installed ninety-five acres of FlightTurf® as part of a runway extension project. Seventy-five acres of FlightTurf® was added in April of 2013. Geese flying near Lake Erie visit the airfield to rest and feed. Planting FlightTurf® lessened the attraction to the airfield, and birds traveling along migratory routes sought more palatable food source areas.
Case Study
Airfield Northeast Philidelphia, PA 2012 (PNE)
Native Return® successfully seeded three acres of FlightTurf® on the PNE Airport airfield in 2009 to determine if using FlightTurf® would yield better results than the existing grass. By 2012, no birds were observed on the FlightTurf® plots while birds were observed on the existing grass plots. FlightTurf® was persistent, durable, remained thick even with moderate vehicle traffic, and performed well year-round with no supplemental irrigation.