VegSpec Help
About VegSpec
VegSpec is a Web-based decision support system that assists land managers in revegetation planning and design. VegSpec uses soil, plant, and climate data to select plant species that are (1) adapted to a specific site, (2) suitable for the selected practice (treatment), and (3) appropriate for the purposes and sub-purposes for which the planting is intended.
VegSpec contains data on over 2,000 species of frequently used plants. Plants that are selected by VegSpec for a particular project should be reviewed by persons who are knowledgeable about the use of plants for revegetation and additional information about plants proposed by VegSpec should be sought. VegSpec does not include horticultural or gardening plants. VegSpec contains limited cultivar and germplasm releases. For expanded information about cultivars and releases, please contact your revegetation or plant materials specialist.
Every selected practice (treatment), purpose, and subpurpose as you progress through the species selection process will filter out plants and reduce the size of your potential plant list.
Browser Requirements: VegSpec works best with Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher and opens additional browser windows. Please turn off any pop-up managers while you are using VegSpec. VegSpec requires a Java-enabled browser, with Java(TM) Runtime Environment Standard Edition J2SE v1.4.2 JRE loaded. If you don't have this JRE, you can download one without cost from Sun MicroSystems <http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html>. The JRE download is easy to install using the directions provided by Sun. NRCS Note: NRCS employees must obtain JRE from the CCE website. Please contact your system administrator to install JRE.
Navigation: Since this is a Java application, it is critical that you always use the VegSpec internal navigation when moving from screen to screen. Do not use the browser back or forward arrows, since your results will not be consistent. You can move through the design process by clicking the next step on the Navigation Bar. Time Out---If your VegSpec session is inactive for over 30 minutes, you will be timed out and need to start over.
NRCS Note: VegSpec is not to be used in place of the eFOTG recommendations. This tool is more applicable for use by state specialists. These specialists have the responsibility to evaluate output appropriate to site conditions for augmenting species in the Field Office Technical Guide.