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- [Narrator] With thousands
of acres of roadside

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right-of-way, TxDOT wants to
ensure that native vegetation

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thrives in these areas.

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It's vital for the environment,

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including to help with erosion control,

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but it also allows TxDOT
to meet federal mandates

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for using native plants.

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This project focuses on
the work of researchers

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at Texas A&M University Kingsville,

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and how their restoration
efforts designed to help

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landowners is now benefiting
everyone that travels.

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- What's important about
native right-of-way

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is we were getting back
to more of a regenerative

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type of right-of-way
where the right-of-way

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takes care of itself through nature.

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- It's very important
to have the native seeds

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from an area where they originated from,

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and that those plants
can perform well there.

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The various ecosystems
of Texas, or ecoregions

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if you will, far West Texas
has desert grasslands,

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far East Texas pine woods
with a native grass understory

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and variable rainfall throughout.

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The different plants just don't perform

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all the way across the state.

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- The process that Texas native
seeds uses to develop seed

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releases that are then
used for TxDOT revegetation

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and provide into the commercial industry

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is we have individuals that go out,

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and make collections
from wild populations.

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We then bring that material back,

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grow it out in the greenhouse.

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Those populations are then
transplanted into the field

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and data is collected on those
transplants for two years,

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and select usually between two and four

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of those original populations.

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We grow each of those in isolation

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for an additional two to five years,

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until we have sufficient
enough seed stock on hand

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to then be able to provide
to a commercial grow.

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- When they go out and they test the seed,

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and they look at the seed
and they grow the seed out,

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they make it available,
commercially available

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where the state of Texas
can then if that be TxDOT,

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or whomever it might be
can come in and purchase

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that seed for the plantings
in the right-of-way.

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- We have six different regional projects

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within the state of Texas,

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and we stationed those strategically

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to get the variable climates,

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and the variable ecoregions of the state,

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so that we can test these
different seed sources

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in all areas of the state and
see where they can be used

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in areas where they
won't be able to be used.

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That helps us narrow down the
area of adaptation for TxDOT.

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- One of the specific ones

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that we've been working on
recently is pollinator habitat

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to try and identify those specific species

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that'll provide pollinator habitat.

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Another one that's been
throughout the process

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is finding height appropriate species,

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those species that
maintain a lower growth,

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so that we may be not have to mow

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as often as we've traditionally done.

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- TxDOT is really utilizing our expertise

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and native plant development,
and our ability to test

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different plants in different
ecoregions within Texas

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to really dial in and
create recommendations

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that they can use to be successful

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in all the different ecoregions

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and ecosystems within the state.

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- We've got new projects coming online,

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looking at how we can do
different drill seedings.

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We can do hydro seedings,
different application methods.

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Along with that, we can
look at using cover crops,

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or different times of planting,

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all of those different kinds
of research methodologies

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to really figure out how best
to establish that vegetation

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now that the seeds on
the commercial market.

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- The direction we going,

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I would love to see us to go all native.

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Is it possible?

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It's going to be a long haul,
It's not going to be easy,

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but we'll get there, we'll get there.

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- [Narrator] For more information

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and to find the publications
for this project,

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please visit the TxDOT research library

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at the link shown below.