Cultivation of Industrial Hemp On and Near Airports: Implications for Wildlife Use and Risk to Aviation Safety

Authors

Bradley F. Blackwell, USDA APHIS WS NWRC OhioFollow
Page E. Klug, North Dakota State University
Lee A. Humberg, Purdue University
Zachary T. Brym, University of Florida
Bryan M. Kluever, USDA APHIS WS MWRC Florida
Jenna Edwards, USDA APHIS WS NWRC Colorado

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

Winter 2022

Citation

Human-Wildlife Interactions (winter 2022) 16(3): 373–383

Comments

United States government work

Abstract

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.; hemp) is an emerging crop in the United States with little known about bird use or the potential for birds to become an agricultural pest. We identified birds associated with hemp fields, using repeated visits to oilseed plots in North Dakota, USA (n = 6) and cannabinoid (CBD) plots in Florida, USA (n = 4) from August to November 2020. We did not control for plot area or density; our observations were descriptive only. We observed 10 species in hemp, 12 species flying over hemp, and 11 species both foraging in and flying over hemp fields in North Dakota. In Florida, we observed 4 species in hemp, 5 species flying over hemp, and 4 species exhibiting both behaviors. When we observed birds in hemp, we found them perched in the canopy or foraging on the ground. Counts were highest in oilseed and lowest in CBD varieties. The Florida sites were mainly CBD varieties, which explains lower species diversity and raw counts of birds given the lack of seeds produced. Maximum raw counts of the most common birds (mourning doves [Zenaida macroura] = 116; house finches [Haemorhous mexicanus] = 53; and American goldfinches [Spinus tristis] = 40) using very small fields (116–324 m²) in North Dakota suggest oilseed hemp could suffer yield losses but potentially benefit farmland bird conservation and act as a decoy crop to protect other commodities (for example, sunflower [Helianthus annuus L.]).