New Website All About Plants

Temple, Texas - January 29, 2007.  When drought, noxious weeds, wildfire, or human-made disturbances negatively impact the landscape, the USDA-NRCS sets out to find solutions through plants.

The NRCS plant materials program provides native plants that can help solve natural resource problems.

“Once a problem is identified, it is our job to seek out plants that show promise for meeting the conservation need,” said Rob Ziehr, NRCS plant materials specialist in Temple, Texas. “We then test the plant’s performance and, once proven, we release it to the private sector for commercial production.”

Historically, NRCS employees across the country have collected various plant species for scientists at plant materials centers to work with. But the agency is expanding its approach to plant collection and inviting the public to be a part of the process.

“We have developed a website that will serve as a source of information regarding plant materials in Texas,” Ziehr said. “But more importantly, we have included detailed information on how to collect plants we can use in our research.”

The website address is www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/pmc. Ziehr said that detailed instructions on plant collection and documentation forms can be found on the website.
Of the 27 plant materials centers in the country, three are located in Texas at Kingsville, Knox City, and Nacogdoches. With more than 550 active studies on real-world conservation issues nationwide, the plant materials program offers immediate practical application.

Contact

< Back to 07 News Releases