United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service		 Go to Accessibility Information
Skip to Page Content




National Conservation Practice Standards - NHCP

The table below is the current list of National conservation practices in alphabetical order by practice name, with the practice code in parentheses.  The table contains links to the practice standard (available in either Portable Document Format (PDF) or MS-Word), a conservation practice information sheet and the Conservation Practice Physical Effects (CPPE) worksheet for most practices, and to job sheets for a limited number of conservation practices.

The last column contains national templates for Statements of Work associated with each conservation practice. These national templates are provided in MS-Word and are for modification and adaptation by the NRCS State Offices.

These Statements of Work outline deliverables for all conservation practice in the National Handbook of Conservation Practices (NHCP), as well as for comprehensive nutrient management plan development, conservation planning, and cultural resources compliance activities.

There are five additional national templates for Statements of Work that are not directly associated with conservation practices: 1) Conservation Planning, 2) Comprehensive Nutrient Management Planning, 3) Cultural Resources Archival Research, 4) Cultural Resources Identification Surveys and 5) Cultural Resources Evaluations.

NOTICE - National Conservation Practice standards should not be used to plan, design or install a conservation practice. You must have the conservation practice standard developed by the state in which you are working to insure that you meet all state and local criteria, which may be more restrictive than national criteria.

State Conservation practice standards are available through the eFOTG (Electronic  Field Office Technical Guide). If no state conservation practice standard is available in the eFOTG, you should contact the appropriate State Office or your local USDA Service Center.

The national statement of work templates are to be used only by NRCS state offices to develop a statement of work for each state conservation practice standard.  The state-specific statement of work documents are available through the eFOTG (Electronic Field Office Technical Guide). If no statement of work is available in the eFOTG for the conservation practice in question, you should contact the appropriate State Office or your local USDA Service Center.

The conservation practice standard contains information on why and where the practice is applied, and sets forth the minimum quality criteria that must be met during the application of that practice in order for it to achieve its intended purpose(s).

The conservation practice information sheet contains a photograph of the installed practice, plus a definition or description of the practice, where it is commonly used and a brief description of the conservation effects of this practice when it is properly applied.

The conservation practice physical effects (CPPE) document provides guidance on how the application of that practice will affect the resources (soil, water, air, plants, animals and human) and the resource concerns associated with each of those resources. The worksheet that is on the server reflects the best estimate of the effects, either positive or negative, of that practice on the resource concerns. States are expected to edit the worksheet to show the actual effects of applying that practice in their state.  The CPPE documents linked to this page are derived from the National CPPE spreadsheet.

The conservation practice job sheets provide detailed guidance on the application of the practice, and contain worksheets that can be used to document the practice plan and design for a specific site.

The National Handbook of Conservation Practices notices transmit updated or new National conservation practice standards.

Some of the documents require Adobe Acrobat Reader, if it is not already installed on your computer.

If your browser does not support tables, you may download the files directly from the FTP server. They are available as PDF files or MS-Word files.  You will need to know the conservation practice number (code) to recognize the correct file to download.

Conservation Practice Name (Units) (Code) (Date Issued)

Standard

Conservation Practice Information Sheet

Adobe Acrobat Document

CPPE Worksheet

Microsoft Word Document 		Job Sheet

National Statement of Work Template
Microsoft Word Document

PDF Adobe Acrobat Document

Word Microsoft Word Document

Adobe Acrobat Document PDF or
Microsoft Word Document Word
Above Ground, Multi-Outlet Pipeline (Ft.) (431) (8/06) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document   Microsoft Word Document
Access Road (Ft.) (560) (10/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document   Microsoft Word Document
Agrichemical Handling Facility (No.) (309) (2/08) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document   Microsoft Word Document
Alley Cropping (Ac.) (311) (1/06) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document   Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Amendments for the Treatment of Agricultural Waste (AU) (591) (4/05) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document   Microsoft Word Document    
Anaerobic Digester, Ambient Temperature (No.) (365) (9/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Anaerobic Digester, Controlled Temperature (No.) (366) (9/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document

Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Animal Mortality Facility (No.) (316) (3/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Animal Trails and Walkways (Ft.) (575) (11/02) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Anionic Polyacrylamide (PAM) Erosion Control (Ac.) (450) (3/01) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Aquaculture Ponds (Ac.) (397) (3/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Atmospheric Resource Quality Management (Ac.) (370) (9/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Bedding (Ac.) (310) (3/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Brush Management (Ac.) (314) (12/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Channel Bank Vegetation (Ac.) (322) (11/02) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Channel Stabilization (Ft.) (584) (7/02) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Clearing and Snagging (Ft.) (326) (11/02) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Closure of Waste Impoundments (No.) (360) (2/05) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Composting Facility (No.) (317) (10/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Conservation Cover (Ac.) (327) (6/07) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Conservation Crop Rotation (Ac.) (328) (2/00) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Constructed Wetland (Ac.) (656) (8/00) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Contour Buffer Strips (Ac.) (332) (6/07) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Contour Farming (Ac.) (330) (6/07) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Contour Orchard and Other Fruit Area (Ac.) (331) (3/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Cover Crop (Ac.) (340) (5/06) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Critical Area Planting (Ac.) (342) (6/07) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Cross Wind Ridges (Ac.) (589A) (7/02) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Cross Wind Trap Strips (Ac.) (589C) (2/05) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Dam, Diversion (No.) (348) (4/02) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Dam (No. and Ac-Ft) (402) (7/02) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Deep Tillage (Ac.) (324) (3/01) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Dike (Ft.) (356) (11/02) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Diversion (Ft.) (362) (9/01) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Drainage Water Management (Ac.) (554) (9/01) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Acrobat Icon Microsoft Word Document   Microsoft Word Document
Dry Hydrant (No.) (432) (3/99) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Early Successional Habitat Development/Management (Ac.) (647) (8/05) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Feed Management (No. of Systems and AUs Affected) (592) (9/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Fence (Ft.) (382) (2/08) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Field Border (Ft.) (386) (6/07) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Filter Strip (Ac.) (393) (10/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Firebreak (Ft.) (394) (4/05) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Fish Passage (Mi.) (396) (8/06) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Fish Raceway or Tank (Ft. and Ft3) (398) (9/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Fishpond Management (Ac.) (399) (8/06) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Forage Harvest Management (Ac.) (511) (12/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Forest Slash Treatment (Ac.) (384) (4/05) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document   Microsoft Word Document    
Forest Stand Improvement (Ac.) (666) (1/06) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Forest Trails and Landings (Ac.) (655) (1/06) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Fuel Break (Ac.) (383) (4/05) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document   Microsoft Word Document    
Grade Stabilization Structure (No.) (410) (10/85) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Grassed Waterway (Ac.) (412) (2/00) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Grazing Land Mechanical Treatment (Ac.) (548) (3/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Heavy Use Area Protection (Ac.) (561) (10/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Hedgerow Planting (Ft.) (422) (10/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Herbaceous Wind Barriers (Ft.) (603) (10/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Hillside Ditch (Ft.) (423) (7/02) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Irrigation Canal or Lateral (Ft.) (320) (3/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Irrigation Field Ditch (Ft.) (388) (3/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Irrigation Land Leveling (Ac.) (464) (9/01) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Irrigation Regulating Reservoir (No.) (552) (7/02) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Irrigation Storage Reservoir (No. and Ac-Ft) (436) (7/02) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Irrigation System, Microirrigation (No. and Ac.) (441) (8/06) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Irrigation System, Sprinkler (No. and Ac.) (442) (12/03) Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Word Document Microsoft Word Document
Irrigation System, Surface and Subsurface (No. and Ac.) (