Welcome to the home page for the USDA NRCS Vegetation Specification Suite (VegSpec).

Plants offer a natural solution for addressing many conservation challenges. From preventing soil erosion, capturing nutrients, and improving water quality to providing forage for livestock, enhancing wildlife and pollinator habitat, and restoring lands after wildfires, plants are a sustainable resource that help protect and heal our landscapes.

VegSpec combines NRCS's Soil Survey Geographic database, NASA's weather database, USDA's PLANTS database, and science-based vegetation performance data to provide lists of species that are: (1) adapted to a specific site; (2) suitable for the selected practice (treatment); and (3) appropriate for the purpose(s) for which the planting is intended. Users may also generate seed mixes and estimated costs for their project.

As VegSpec evolves through user feedback, additional functionality and options will become available for users. We encourage you to provide your ideas by clicking the "Feedback" tab at the top.

Plants and seed mixes that are selected via VegSpec 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. For expanded information about cultivars (aka, cultivated varieties) and releases, please contact your revegetation or plant materials specialist.

Click the "Next" button or the "Location" tab above to begin exploring plants for your project.