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You are here >1Up Info > Wildlife, Animals, and Plants > Plant Species > Shrub > SPECIES : Amelanchier alnifolia | Saskatoon Serviceberry
 

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VALUE AND USE

SPECIES : Amelanchier alnifolia | Saskatoon Serviceberry
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : NO-ENTRY IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : Saskatoon serviceberry is a valuable wildlife plant. Wild ungulates browse twigs and foliage; fur and game mammals such as black bear, beaver, and hares consume twigs, foliage, fruits, and bark. Upland game birds consume the fruits and buds, and many species of rodents and songbirds eat the fruits [20,41,72,101]. Where available in quantity, Saskatoon serviceberry is often a primary or important component of the winter diet of big game species. In Montana, utilization of Saskatoon serviceberry browse was heaviest during periods of deep snow. Second heaviest use was in spring. All big game species, including mountain goat and bighorn sheep, utilized Saskatoon serviceberry. Elk would often browse all available twigs before moving to another area [48]. In Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, bison browsed Saskatoon serviceberry and used the wooded draws in which it grows for cover [78]. PALATABILITY : Saskatoon serviceberry browse is palatable to all wild and domestic ungulate species [30,84]. It is not among the most preferred browse species, but ungulates consume a considerable amount of it when plentiful. In a feeding trial with captive mule deer in Logan, Utah, Saskatoon serviceberry was ranked 11th in preference out of 14 winter browse species, with 1 being the most preferred species [87]. Palatability has been rated as follows [30,84]: cattle fair to good domestic goats good domestic sheep fair to good mule deer fair to good horses poor to fair Although Saskatoon serviceberry is often a primary component of winter diets [65,84], ungulates normally consume a variety of other shrubs as well. A diet consisting solely of Saskatoon serviceberry can be fatal due to presence of cyanogenic glycosides [70,82]. The glycosides are highly concentrated in young twigs and least concentrated in older leaves. Captive mule deer fed only fresh, winter-collected Saskatoon serviceberry twigs died within a week [82]. Quinton [82] speculated that a winter diet of over 35 percent Saskatoon serviceberry would be fatal to mule deer. NUTRITIONAL VALUE : Browse: Nutritional content of fresh Saskatoon serviceberry twigs and leaves (collected at time of flowering) averaged [77]: twigs leaves _____ ______ ash (%) 2.8 8.5 crude fiber (%) 34.8 14.8 ether extract (%) 3.4 6.2 N-free extract (%) 53.5 59.6 protein (digestible, N X 6.25) cattle 2.6 7.2 domestic goats 1.7 6.7 horses 2.2 6.8 rabbits 2.9 7.1 domestic sheep 2.1 7.1 calcium --- 2.32 magnesium --- 0.47 Comparing winter nutrient and fiber content of Saskatoon serviceberry over widely scattered geographical areas of western Colorado, Kufeld and others [60] concluded that variation in protein, carbohydrate, and fiber was small enough to assume constant values for those parameters when calculating nutritional status of big game rangelands. In the Black Hills of South Dakota, Saskatoon serviceberry was found to provide adequate nutrition for white-tailed deer in all seasons. Digestibility for white-tailed deer was 48 percent in spring and 54 percent in winter (in-vitro, oven-dry basis). Seasonal variation in nutritional content of Saskatoon serviceberry is shown below [28]. ___________________________________________________________________________ Nutritional | Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter| Component |_______________|_______________|_______________|_______| | leaves|stems | leaves|stems | leaves|stems | stems | __________________|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______| crude protein (%) | 18.5 | 13.6 | 12.3 | 6.7 | 6.2 | 6.4 | 7.0 | carbohydrates (%) | | | | | | | | ADF | 18.7 | 32.0 | 22.3 | 42.7 | 29.8 | 44.4 | 43.6 | ADL | 7.4 | 6.9 | 9.8 | 15.7 | 15.2 | 19.7 | 20.1 | Cellulose | 13.2 | 24.8 | 12.2 | 22.0 | 13.3 | 25.6 | 21.0 | ash (%) | 6.6 | 5.8 | 6.0 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 3.5 | 3.6 | Ca (%) | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.5 | P (%) | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.2 | energy (cal/g) | 4,862 | 4,746 | 4,916 | 4,770 | 4,999 | 4,922 | 4,793 | __________________|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______| ADF - acid-detergent fiber ADL - acid-detergent lignin Asherin [10,11] compared nutritional content of Saskatoon serviceberry on two burned and two unburned control sites near Avery, Idaho. He found Saskatoon serviceberry twigs on burned sites contained more crude protein and less crude fiber than twigs on unburned sites. Twigs were collected during winter dormancy. Two watersheds were used as study sites: one with 1- and 2-year-old prescribed burns, and one with a 3-year-old prescribed burn. Mean percent nutritional content of twigs was as follows [10,11]: Site 1 Site 1 Site 1 Site 2 Site 2 control 1-yr-old burn 2-yr-old burn control 3-yr-old burn _______ _____________ _____________ _______ _____________ moisture 55.09 51.90* 54.42 56.30 53.50* crude protein 9.14 9.28 10.04* 9.44 9.48 crude fiber 27.95 26.74* 27.16 26.39 25.20* ash 2.84 2.77 2.95 2.86 2.79 N-free extract 57.63 57.88 57.90 58.69 59.28 calcium 1.07 0.91* 1.17* 1.10 1.08 phosphorus 0.16 0.15 0.16 0.17 0.15* C:P ratio 6.7:1 6.0:1* 7.2:1 6.5:1 7.1:1* ______________________________________________________________________________ *significantly different from the control (p = 0.01) Fruits: Nutritional content of Saskatoon serviceberry fruits collected in northern Ontario follows [100]. Percent _______ moisture 75.20 dry matter 24.80 fat 0.28 protein 1.51 soluble carbohydrate 11.36 COVER VALUE : The degree to which Saskatoon serviceberry provides cover for wildlife has been rated as follows [30]: CO MT ND UT WY Pronghorn ---- ---- ---- poor poor Elk fair poor ---- fair poor Mule deer good fair good good fair White-tailed deer poor good ---- ---- fair Small mammals good fair ---- good good Small nongame birds good fair good good good Upland game birds good fair good good fair Waterfowl ---- ---- ---- poor poor VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : Saskatoon serviceberry is used for reclamation [48] and for wildlife, watershed, and shelterbelt plantings [33]. It can be started from seed or vegetative cuttings. Seed collection, processing, and germination techniques are reviewed by Brinkman [20]. Hermesh and Cole [48] review procedures for starting Saskatoon serviceberry from cuttings. Saskatoon serviceberry has been successfully planted on burned sites [29,91]. In the Black Hills of South Dakota, Saskatoon serviceberry and other browse species were transplanted on 30-year-old burn and open-grown, mature ponderosa pine sites . Establishment and 10-year survival of bareroot Saskatoon serviceberry nursery stock was rated "fair" on both sites; growth was rated "poor" on both sites [29]. OTHER USES AND VALUES : Saskatoon serviceberry is planted as an ornamental and to produce commercial fruit crops. The fruits are added to pastries and used for making jelly or syrup [31]. Several cultivars of Saskatoon serviceberry have been developed [35]. Native Americans used Saskatoon serviceberry wood to make arrow shafts, spears, and digging sticks. They made a tea, used for treating colds, by boiling the branches [44]. MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Control: It may be desirable to control Saskatoon serviceberry on conifer plantations [74]. Glyphosate or triclopyr ester give good control of serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.). Even with several treatments, 2,4-D gives only poor to fair control [104].

Related categories for SPECIES : Amelanchier alnifolia | Saskatoon Serviceberry

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