Airport managers have significant annual operating costs tied to maintaining airport green space that can often exceed hundreds of acres and face challenges with high fuel costs to operate ground vehicles. This project was initiatited to explore modifying the land use around airports to support the production of oilseeds and other biomass crops that could be used either as a fuel resource or generate revenues for airport operations. One crop of particular interest was camelina. Camelina is unique in that its oil can be used to support the production of either biodiesl for ground vehicles or used in a process to make renewable aviation fuel. The overall project goal was to assess the feasibility of growing camelina on marginal, underutilized spaces in the southeast and scientifically monitor and document animal attractiveness to the crop. Specific objectives were to establish effective production methods, quantify costs in adopting camelina, identify key land selection criteria and survey wildlife. These activities were completed in two phases. Crop production efforts showed promise in identifying land characteristics needed for a good crop stand. The project exposed some of the environmental sensitivities of camelina in a warmer, humid southeastern climate. These experiences informed the cultural management decisions and research related efforts to improve production practices and identify the most promising site selection conditions at NC airports. Wildlife surveys did show increases in avian and mammalian activity with the introduction of camelina practices relative to turf plots. Overall, useful data were generated and will be available for airport managers for future conversations.
