The following are the 20 practices included in OAK's Climate-Smart Project, as defined by the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).
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Cover Crop: Cover crops are grasses, legumes and forbs planted for seasonal vegetative cover. Cover crops are not cash crops, but instead are planted to build soil health and carbon stocks by reducing erosion, incrementally increasing organic matter and building soil structure while reducing soil compaction. Producers who plant cover crops may also deliver co-benefits of improved water quality, suppressed weed pressure and broken pest cycles.
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Residue and Tillage Management/Reduced Till: Reduced till minimizes soil disturbance to manage the amount, orientation and distribution of crop and plant residue on the soil surface throughout the year. This practice limits soil-disturbing activities used to grow and harvest crops in systems where the field surface is tilled prior to planting. Producers who practice reduced till may slowly build soil carbon stocks while delivering the co-benefits of increasing plant-available moisture and improving water quality. Reduced till decreases the amount of soil carbon released into the atmosphere through disturbance and supports soil carbon sequestration.
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Field Border: A field border is a strip of permanent vegetation established at the edge or around the perimeter of a cropland or pasture field. Producers who implement field borders may build perennial biomass and soil carbon stocks while delivering the co-benefits of improving water quality and providing habitat for wildlife or pollinators.
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Mulching: Mulching is applying plant residues or other materials to the land’s surface. Producers who mulch may increase soil carbon sequestration while delivering co-benefits such as improving moisture management, limiting erosion, building soil health and increasing plant health.
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Strip Cropping: Stripcropping is growing planned rotations of erosion-resistant and erosion-susceptible crops or fallow in a systematic arrangement of strips across a cropland field. Producers who plant stripcrops, and in particular the addition of perennial cover grown in strips with annual crops, may increase soil carbon sequestration while delivering the co-benefits of building soil health, reducing soil erosion, improving water quality and increasing plant productivity and health.
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Vegetative Barriers: Vegetative barriers are permanent strips of stiff, dense vegetation established along the general contour of slopes or across concentrated flow areas. Producers who plant vegetative barriers may increase carbon sequestration in perennial biomass and soil carbon while delivering the co-benefits of improved soil health, reduced erosion, improved water quality and increased pollinator habitat.
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Herbaceous Wind Barriers: Herbaceous wind barriers are areas of herbaceous vegetation established in narrow strips within a cropland field to reduce wind speed and wind erosion. Producers who plant herbaceous wind barriers may increase carbon sequestration in perennial biomass and soil carbon while delivering the co-benefits of building soil health, reducing erosion, improving ambient air quality and strengthening plant health by reducing crop damage by wind.
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Nutrient Management: Nutrient management enables producers to manage the rate, source, placement and timing of plant nutrients and soil amendments while reducing environmental impact. This conservation practice, and particularly applications that improve nitrogen use efficiency, such as the use of enhanced efficiency fertilizers, split applications, reduced application rates, and precision agriculture, may reduce nitrous oxide emissions while delivering the co-benefits of strengthening plant health and productivity, improving water quality, lowering input costs and improving or maintaining soil organic matter.
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Pasture and Hay Planting: Pasture and hay planting is used to establish adapted and compatible herbaceous plants suitable for pasture or hay production. Producers who participate in pasture and hay planting may increase perennial biomass and soil carbon sequestration while delivering the co-benefits of improving livestock nutrition and health, providing available forage during periods of otherwise low production and building soil health.
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Prescribed Grazing: Prescribed grazing is managing the harvest of vegetation with grazing or browsing animals to achieve specific ecological, economic and management goals. Producers who practice prescribed grazing may sequester carbon in perennial biomass and soils while delivering the co-benefits of enhancing or maintaining desired plant species for forage, improving water quality, increasing stocking rates and livestock vigor and building soil health.
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Range Planting: Range planting is the establishment of adapted perennial vegetation on range land. Producers who participate in range planting may increase carbon sequestration in perennial biomass and soils while delivering the co-benefits of supporting desired plant communities, providing or improving livestock forage, improving water quality and building soil health.
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Forest Farming: Forest farming is managing an overstory of trees or shrubs with understory plants that are separately managed for a variety of products. Producers who practice forest farming may increase carbon sequestration in perennial biomass and soils while delivering co-benefits of improving biodiversity and building soil health.
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Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment and Renovation: This practice establishes, enhances or renovates windbreaks, which are single or multiple rows of trees or shrubs planted in linear or curvilinear configurations. Producers who establish windbreaks may increase carbon sequestration in perennial biomass and soils while delivering the co-benefits of reducing erosion, protecting crops, livestock and buildings from wind-related damage, enhancing moisture management and improving ambient air quality.
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Silvopasture: Silvopasture is the establishment and management of desired tree and forage species on the same land unit. Producers who practice silvopasture may increase carbon sequestration in perennial biomass and soils while delivering the co-benefits of providing forage, shade or shelter for livestock, reducing soil and wind erosion, improving water quality, increasing wildlife and pollinator habitat and building soil health.
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Wildlife Habitat Planting: Wildlife habitat planting is establishing wildlife habitat by planting herbaceous vegetation or shrubs. Producers who implement wildlife habitat plantings may generate carbon sequestration in perennial biomass and soils while delivering the co-benefits of providing wildlife or pollinator habitat.
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Hedgerow Planting: A hedgerow planting is dense vegetation established in a linear design. Producers who implement hedgerow plantings may generate carbon sequestration in perennial biomass and soils while delivering the co-benefits of providing wildlife or pollinator habitat and developing living fences.
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Tree/Shrub Establishment: This conservation practice establishes woody vegetation by planting seedlings or cuttings, direct seeding or through natural regeneration. Land managers who establish trees or shrubs may increase carbon sequestration in perennial biomass and soils while delivering the co-benefits of maintaining or increasing plant diversity, establishing wildlife or pollinator habitat, reducing erosion and improving water quality.
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Contour Orchard and Other Perennial Crops: This conservation practice calls for planting orchards, vineyards, or other perennial crops on or near the contour. This practice is used when orchards, vineyards, or other perennial crops are established on sloping land. Planting on the contour conserves and protects soil, water, and related natural resources.
