The Oklahoma Conservation Commission received a conservation grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop and deploy mapping software designed to track invasive vegetation and woody encroachment.
The Conservation Innovation Grant is part of a $65 million USDA investment in 34 projects nationwide supporting the development of new tools and approaches for natural resource conservation on private lands.
Oklahoma's grant will fund the Agnostic Geo-Spatial Mapping-Software System created by Grass-Ag, which captures data across multiple spectral bands to identify invasive vegetation, evaluate plant health, detect crop nutrient and water stress, classify land cover, and monitor vegetation changes over time. The software will focus on woody encroachment in Oklahoma.
"This investment by USDA will greatly improve our understanding of the spread and threat of woody encroachment in Oklahoma," said Trey Lam, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission.
The Conservation Innovation Grants are intended to help producers improve their operations while conserving natural resources and strengthening American agriculture, according to the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service.