From the 2020 NACD Annual Meeting. Learn about NRCS' Conservation Assessment and Ranking Tool and how to use it.

1. Mission Support Services
Operations Associate Chief Area
Overview Feb 2019
Conservation
Assessment & Ranking
Tool

2. CART Objectives
2
Streamline, Efficiency & Customer Service
• Streamline Reading the Land
• Efficient Conservation Planning and Ranking
• Improve Services and Time to Interact with the Client
Program Neutral Planning informs Programs in a consistent,
integrated process.
Provide an Adaptive Learning Framework
CART will be fully integrated into Planning and Program
Policy. No Duplication of Work

3. Mission Support Services
Conservation Planning
Principles of Conservation Planning
(1) Consider the needs and capabilities of each acre within the plan
(2) Consider the client’s facilities, machinery, and economic situation
(3) Incorporate the client’s willingness to try new practices
(4) Consider the land’s relationship to the entire farm, ranch, or watershed
(5) Ensure the conservationist’s presence out on the land
Hugh Hammond Bennet
3

4. Slide 4
Conservation Planning Process
Phase I
Collect & Analyze
• Identify Problem
• Determine Objective
• Inventory Resources
• Analyze Resource Data
Phase II
Decision Support
• Formulate Alternatives
• Evaluate Alternatives
• Make Decision
Phase III
Implementation &
Evaluation
• Implementation
Requirements
• Implement the Plan
• Evaluate the Plan
Conservation PlanResource Concerns
Planning Criteria
Existing Condition
CAPS
Designs
Checkout
Contract
Conservation Practices
Economics
Conservation Desktop
Conservation Assessment Ranking Tool
Environmental Assessment
Future

5. Conservation Desktop
5

6. Phase I Collect and Analyze
6
CART Supports
Client and Field
Information with
Geospatial
Concern
Evaluation.
Planner will select
resource
concerns which
present
opportunities,
concerns, or
threats.

7. Phase I Collect and Analyze
7
• Planners will select resource
concerns to be analyzed within
CART
• A questions set based on the
resource concerns selected
will be created

8. Phase I Collect and Analyze
8
• Planning criteria, existing condition, and planned practice
information will be collected and analyzed by using a
conservation point system
• Thresholds will be set by geospatial analysis when available
• Existing Condition will be determined by answers to the questions
and identification of existing practices

9. Analyze Resource Data
9
CART assists
planners to analyze
resource data
captured in the
inventory and
compare against the
threshold to
determine if
planning criteria is
met. Planner
override will be
allowed.
Threshold
Existing
Practices
Existing
Condition
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+

10. Phase II Decision Support
10
• Planners compare alternative practices and systems to address
resource concerns
• CART will allow both primary and supporting practices
• Practices garner conservation points toward meeting
thresholds for all resource concerns which are relevant
• Planners will have the ability to override the CART planned
result (meet or not meet) for each resource concern

11. Evaluate Alternatives
11
CART assists
planners illustrate
various alternative
practices and their
effect on the
resource concern.
Threshold
Planned
Existing
Condition &
Practices
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+

12. Environmental Assessment
12
CART 1.0 will Collect
resource concern
assessments data captured
in the CPA-52
CART 1.1 (March release)
will collect special
environmental concerns
(both geospatially and
question based) currently
captured on the CPA-52.
CART 1.2 (Summer release)
will allow completion of
environmental assessment
electronically, incorporating
the entire CPA-52 workflow

13. Finalize Plan
13
CART will integrate with
Conservation Desktop (CD) to turn
the client’s selected alternative into a
written conservation plan. Planners
will digitize practices within CD.
Implementation requirements,
component plans, and practice
designs will not be part of CART
1.0/CD 2.3

14. Mission Support Services
CART Ranking
Prioritization
14

15. One Plan - Multi-Ranking Pool Evaluation
A Plan Assessment is made up of multiple practices which
may be eligible under multiple ranking pools. CART will allow
consideration for funding under all applicable ranking pools
• Participants may be considered for funding in as many
ranking pools as are applicable
• Plans may receive funding from multiple ranking pools
• CART will assure a practice is not funded twice on the same
land unit by separate funding sources
CART will be available for use by all NRCS programs in 2020.
CART is set up to be used for CRP and State Programs if
desired.
15

16. Finding the Right Program
16

17. Ranking Pool Use
Within CART each FY 2020 program Spending Plan (funding pools,
subaccounts, and/or initiatives) will have a CART ranking pool.
Ranking pools will evaluate client’s applications for 5 main areas
• Plan Assessment: Existing Vulnerability
• Plan Assessment: Planned Practice Effects
• Pool Priorities: Resource
• Pool Priorities: Programmatic
• Efficiency
Information captured already in the planning & assessment process
17

18. Ranking Pool Customization
Each Ranking Pool will be customized by the appropriate
program manager after incorporating locally led input through
the State Technical Committee.
Customizable aspects include:
• Geographic Extent of Ranking Pool
• Subdivisions for funding within Ranking Pool
• Weighting between 5 aspects
• Selection of Land Uses
• Selection and Weighting of Resource Concerns
• Selection of Conservation Practices
• Applicability Question or Geospatial
• Pool Resource Priority Questions and Geospatial
• Pool Programmatic Priority Questions and Geospatial
18

19. CART Advantages
• Program Neutral Planning
• One Plan Streamlined Assessment and Ranking
• Locally Led Program Flexibility
• Program Prioritization based on Planning and outcomes
• Assessment and Resource Concern information by Land
Unit
• Environmental Assessment completed as part of planning
• Reduced data duplication
• Outcomes Reporting (Not in version 1.0 but before end of
2020)
• Platform for TSP planning and assessment integration (Not
in version 1.0, but starting in 2021)
19

20. FY 2020 Timeline
January CART Training Site Available
January NPPH and Planning Policy updated
January 28th CART is available for planners
February Once Program Guidance is Available, States will create
Ranking Pools
March CART Enhancements including:
Special Environmental Concerns
Multi-Practice selection for a land unit at one time
Conditional Question Display for Ranking Group
CSP Reports
Early Summer Finalize CPA-52 Workflow in CART
Resources:
• Integrated CD/CART Training Team
• Additional webinars and videos to support rollout
• Handbook for users
20