VegSpec user is required to identify the desired practice, soil series, nearest climate station, and minimal site information to arrive at a list of plant species adapted to the site. List can be restricted by identifying specific purposes for which practice is intended, e.g., native plant community restoration. VegSpec uses expert rules to compare combined user input and system-generated derivatives with a plants database containing approximately 1,500 species. Plants that meet all criteria are listed for user review. After users selects from list of suitable species, VegSpec helps calculate seeding rate and evaluates mixture for potential compatibility problems.
Program then helps user design planting operation.
The majority of the functionality has been migrated to the graphical user interface version, which should be available during 1996. Complete geographical information system capability should be available in 1997. N.W. Washington, D.C. 20590. The Federal Highway Administration publishes Greener Roadsides. This quarterly newsletter is for roadside decision makers.