Vegetation management is required at virtually all airports. Overgrown vegetation can cause a variety of problems including:
- Provides habitats for wildlife, which in turn creates hazards to aircraft operations
- Tall grass can obstruct airport lighting and signage
- Shrubbery and small trees can obstruct airfield visibility and create potential obstacles in the event of a runway excursion
- Larger trees, particularly off-airport, cause hazards to aircraft approaches and takeoffs.
The amount and variety of vegetation at each airport, along with varying terrain will dictate what is required for management. Gale
has recently assisted several airports with the acquisition of compact track loaders (commonly referred to as skid-steers) used for vegetation management, as well as other applications. These machines often come withmultiple attachments, which increase the equipment’s versatility. Attachments can include:
- Forestry Disc Mulcher
- Brush Mower
- Bucket
- Hydraulic Pallet Forks
- Pick-up broom
- Box Plow Snow Pusher
- High Flow Snowblower
Using a track loader, with any of these attachments, allows an airport’s maintenance crew to accomplish many tasks from routine mowing and plowing of aprons and building areas, to removal of trees up to 10 inches in diameter. The versatility of a track loader provides a cost-effective solution to site maintenance and vegetation management issues that would otherwise require multiple pieces of equipment to tackle the tasks.
More From Our Blog:
Rapid Impact Compaction – An Alternative to Expensive Waste Removal
A Municipal Airport required a longer runway to accommodate the growing number of business jets using its facilities. However, there was a challenge in extending the runway due to physical limitations, as the proposed Runway 14 end was in close proximity to an...
Airport Professional Feature – Andrew Pomeroy
Gale Associates, Inc. will be conducting periodic interviews with Airport Professionals so that we may learn more about them, the facilities that they manage, and share it with other like-minded professionals. We hope you enjoy reading this profile of Andrew...
Glazing Performance and Risk
Figure 1 - Impact damage to tempered glass Have you ever experienced glass breakage in your commercial building’s curtain wall, storefront, window, or other glazed system that was not a result of a physical impact? Do you wonder why the glass broke" and what you may...
Hurricane Preparation Checklist
According to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, we are again likely to experience an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season. Tropical cyclones (or hurricanes) are the costliest disasters in the U.S. Since 1980, they have cost over $1.1 trillion in total, with an...
The Case of the Sweating Ceiling
Firemen are used to harsh conditions. However, they do enjoy air conditioning from time to time. As part of systemic mechanical upgrades to several small fire stations, similar mechanical systems were retrofitted into the fire stations, which involved installation of...
How Does Boston’s Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO 2.0) Affect Your Building?
Buildings account for over 70% of greenhouse gas emissions in Boston. As part of Boston’s plan to address climate change, the City of Boston enacted Version 2 of the Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO 2.0) in September 2021. Since 2013,...
Improve the Performance of Your Building
We are looking forward to participating in the FLAPPA Conference, March 16th - 17th at the University of North Florida. We are honored to be included in the educational program. Tony Robinson, RRC, BECxP, LEED®AP will be presenting "Improve the Performance of Your...
Learn About Photovoltaics and Their Impact on Roofing Assemblies
Join us on Thursday, March 10th at 11:00 a.m. when Brian H. Neely, AIA, CDT, BECxP and Jeffrey M. Ziske, P.E., C.D.T. present "Photovoltaics and Their Impact on Roofing Assemblies." For more information and to register, click here.In Other News...
Learn About Running Track and Tennis Court Design & Maintenance Fundamentals
We are looking forward to participating in the FEFPA Winter Conference, March 3rd in Palm Coast, FL. We are honored to be included in the educational program. Peter Spanos will be presenting “Running Track and Tennis Court Design & Maintenance Fundamentals”...
A River Runs Through It
Many municipal airports are surrounded by beautiful (but sometimes encroaching) natural resources. Fitchburg Municipal Airport is no exception. The Nashua River snakes around three sides of Fitchburg Municipal Airport. It is closest to Runway 14-32 at its southern...