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Introductory

SPECIES: Quercus vaccinifolia | Huckleberry Oak
ABBREVIATION : QUEVAC SYNONYMS : Quercus chrysolepis var. vaccinifolia (Kell) Engelm. SCS PLANT CODE : QUVA COMMON NAMES : huckleberry oak TAXONOMY : The currently accepted scientific name of huckleberry oak is Quercus vaccinifolia Kell. [15,27]. There are no recognized subspecies, varieties, or forms. Huckleberry oak hybridizes with canyon live oak (Q. chrysolepis) [1,17,27]. LIFE FORM : Shrub FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : No special status OTHER STATUS : NO-ENTRY COMPILED BY AND DATE : Janet L. Howard, June 1992 LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : NO-ENTRY AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : Howard, Janet L. Quercus vaccinifolia. In: Remainder of Citation

DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE

SPECIES: Quercus vaccinifolia | Huckleberry Oak
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : Huckleberry oak is distributed along the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range from Fresno County, California north to Siskiyou County, California, and in the North Coast and Siskiyou ranges from Mendocino County, California north to Josephine County, Oregon [1,10,15,16]. It also occurs in extreme west-central Nevada [24]. ECOSYSTEMS : FRES20 Douglas-fir FRES21 Ponderosa pine FRES23 Fir - spruce FRES26 Lodgepole pine FRES28 Western hardwoods FRES34 Chaparral - mountain shrub STATES : CA NV OR ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS : LAVO REDW WHIS YOSE BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 1 Northern Pacific Border 2 Cascade Mountains 3 Southern Pacific Border KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : K002 Cedar - hemlock - Douglas-fir forest K003 Silver fir - Douglas-fir forest K004 Fir - hemlock forest K008 Lodgepole pine - subalpine forest K009 Pine - cypress forest K010 Ponderosa shrub forest K011 Western ponderosa forest K012 Douglas-fir forest K013 Cedar - hemlock - pine forest K018 Pine - Douglas-fir forest K020 Spruce - fir - Douglas-fir forest K029 California mixed evergreen forest K030 California oakwoods K034 Montane chaparral SAF COVER TYPES : 205 Mountain hemlock 207 Red fir 211 White fir 215 Western white pine 218 Lodgepole pine 229 Pacific Douglas-fir 230 Douglas-fir - western hemlock 231 Port-Orford-cedar 234 Douglas-fir - tanoak - Pacific madrone 238 Western juniper 243 Sierra Nevada mixed conifer 244 Pacific ponderosa pine - Douglas-fir 245 Pacific ponderosa pine 246 California black oak 247 Jeffrey pine 248 Knobcone pine 249 Canyon live oak 256 California mixed subalpine 218 Lodgepole pine SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : NO-ENTRY HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : The huckleberry oak community type is composed of montane chaparral fields dominated by this species [10,16]. It is also an important or dominant component of the subcanopy layer of various coniferous forests [1,9,22]. Huckleberry oak is listed as a dominant species in the following publications: Preliminary plant associations of the Siskiyou Mountain Province [1] Association types in the North Coast Ranges of California [4] Mixed evergreen forest [22] The vascular plant communitites of California [26]

VALUE AND USE

SPECIES: Quercus vaccinifolia | Huckleberry Oak
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : NO-ENTRY IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : Mule deer browse huckleberry oak heavily. Foliage is sparsely used by livestock, but they readily eat huckleberry oak acorns. Acorns are also consumed by a variety of wildlife, including black bear, mule deer, various rodents, blue grouse, mountain quail, and various small nongame birds [21,29]. PALATABILITY : The palatability of huckleberry oak for livestock and deer is rated as follows [21]: mule deer: fair to poor cattle: poor to useless sheep: poor to useless goats: poor to useless horses: useless NUTRITIONAL VALUE : NO-ENTRY COVER VALUE : NO-ENTRY VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : Huckleberry oak affords excellent erosion control on steep slopes of watersheds [21]. Nursery seedlings have been planted in the Lake Tahoe Basin as a part of a project to control erosion and reduce sediment entering Lake Tahoe [23]. Plants are also established by fall planting of acorns. Cultivation methods have been detailed [18]. OTHER USES AND VALUES : NO-ENTRY MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Unwanted huckleberry oak can be controlled by applying 2,4-D or triclopr ester to freshly cut stumps, or by grubbing out root crowns [24].

BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SPECIES: Quercus vaccinifolia | Huckleberry Oak
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : Huckleberry oak is a native, drought-resistant, evergreen, erect to prostrate, spreading shrub. It grows from 2 to 4 feet (0.6-1.2 m) high. Branches are slender and flexible, with smooth bark [24]. Leaves are sclerophyllous and brittle. Acorns are from 0.4 to 0.6 inch (1.0-1.5 cm) long [15]. RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : Phanerophyte REGENERATION PROCESSES : Sexual: Huckleberry oak is wind pollinated. The age at which acorns are first produced is unknown. Acorns mature in 1 year [29]. Limited research places their germination capacity at 43 percent. Germination is hypogeal and occurs rapidly under warm, moist conditions [18]. Vegetative: Huckleberry oak sprouts from the root crown following damage to aboveground portions of the plant [3,24]. It also reproduces by layering [30]. SITE CHARACTERISTICS : Huckleberry oak is found on xeric sites such as dry, windy ridges from 3,000 to 10,000 feet (305-3,049 m) in elevation [10,15]. Slope varies from gentle to steep. The soil is often rocky, and varies in depth from shallow to moderately deep (4.7 to 37.4 inches [12-95 cm]) [1,9]. Huckleberry oak will grow in serpentine soils [11]. Overstory associates not listed as SAF cover types include sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), beach pine (P. contorta ssp. contorta), incense-cedar (Libocedrus decurrens), Brewer spruce (Picea breweriana), Baker cypress (Cupressus bakeri), and giant chinkapin (Chrysolepis chrysophylla) [6,11,19,25] . Shrub associates include pinemat manzanita (Arctostaphylos nevadensis), California buckthorn (Rhamnus californica), poison-oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum), Wood's rose (Rosa woodsii), deer oak (Quercus sadleriana), Fremont silktassel (Garrya fremontii), squawcarpet ceanothus (Ceanothus prostratus), chaparral whitethorn (C. leucodermis), and shrub forms of California bay (Umbellularia californica), common juniper (Juniperus communis), and tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflora), [1,10,11,13,16]. Groundcover associates include obscure bedstraw (Galium ambiguum), heart-leafed arnica (Arnica cordifolia), cliff-brake fern (Aspidotis densa), bear-grass (Xerophyllum tenax), red fescue (Festuca rubra), California fescue (F. californica), nodding microseris (Microseris nutans), false-flax (Carex serratodens), scarlet paintbrush (Castilleja miniata), and western rattlesnake plantain (Goodyera oblongifolia) [1,9,11]. SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : Facultative Seral Species Huckleberry oak is an edaphic or fire-climax species on some sites [11,16]. In the absence of fire and under favorable soil conditions, huckleberry oak is seral to coniferous species [1,3]. SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : Huckleberry oak initiates growth in April or after snowmelt at high elevation. Flowering occurs from May to June. Information on time of acorn drop is lacking. Seasonal growth ends around November with the onset of freezing temperatures [10,15].

FIRE ECOLOGY

SPECIES: Quercus vaccinifolia | Huckleberry Oak
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : Huckleberry oak has adapted to fire by sprouting from the root crown [3,24]. This shrub has resinous, flammable leaves [5,24]. Its low, spreading growth form encourages surface fire, especially in dense, even-aged stands with considerable horizontal continuity [16,24]. Huckleberry oak in the subcanopy layer of coniferous forests often acts as a ladder fuel, resulting in crown fire [24]. POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : Small shrub, adventitious-bud rootcrown

FIRE EFFECTS

SPECIES: Quercus vaccinifolia | Huckleberry Oak
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : Huckleberry oak is top-killed by fire [3,24]. The percentage of individuals suffering complete kill following moderate and severe fires is undocumented. DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : NO-ENTRY PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : The postfire recovery rate of huckleberry oak is undocumented. DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : NO-ENTRY FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Huckleberry oak aids in the spread of surface and crown fires. Reducing the density of shrub fields is recommended, especially in inhabited areas or locations nearby. This can be accomplished by removing every other oak in a field, or by creating islands of shrubs with cleared areas between them. Stumps require herbicide treatment or grubbing out to prevent sprouting. Thinning huckleberry oak in the subcanopy layer, and pruning "leave" shrubs to less than 18 inches (46 cm) in height reduces fire hazard in forested areas [24].

REFERENCES

SPECIES: Quercus vaccinifolia | Huckleberry Oak
REFERENCES : 1. Atzet, Thomas; Wheeler, David L. 1984. Preliminary plant associations of the Siskiyou Mountain Province. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region. 278 p. [9351] 2. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p. [434] 3. Biswell, Harold H. 1974. Effects of fire on chaparral. In: Kozlowski, T. T.; Ahlgren, C. E., eds. Fire and ecosystems. New York: Academic Press: 321-364. [14547] 4. Clark, Harold W. 1937. Association types in the North Coast Ranges of California. Ecology. 18: 214-230. [11187] 5. Cooper, W. S. 1922. The broad-sclerophyll vegetation of California. Publ. No. 319. Washington, DC: The Carnegie Institution of Washington. 145 p. [6716] 6. Dodd, Richard S. 1992. Noteworthy collections: California. Madrono. 39(1): 79. [17536] 7. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905] 8. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others]. 1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998] 9. Hawk, Glenn Martin. 1977. Comparative study of temperate Chamaecyparis forests. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University. 195 p. Dissertation. [9759] 10. Holland, Robert F. 1986. Preliminary descriptions of the terrestrial natural communities of California. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Fish and Game. 156 p. [12756] 11. Keeler-Wolf, Todd. 1986. An ecological survey of the proposed Stone Corral - Josephine Peridotite Research Natural Area (L. E. Horton - Darlingtonia Bog Research Nat. Area) on the Six Rivers National Forest, Del Norte County, California. Purchase order # 40-9AD6-5-907. Unpublished report on file at: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. 69 p. [12307] 12. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York: American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384] 13. Mallory, James I. 1980. Canyon live oak. In: Eyre, F. H., ed. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters: 125-126. [7608] 14. McKee, Arthur. 1990. Castanopsis chrysophylla (Dougl.) A. DC. giant chinkapin. In: Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H., technical coordinators. Silvics of North America. Vol. 2. Hardwoods. Agric. Handb. 654. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: 234-239. [13962] 15. Munz, Philip A. 1973. A California flora and supplement. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. 1905 p. [6155] 16. Muth, Gilbert Jerome. 1980. Quercus saderiana R. Br. Campst., its distribution, ecology, and relationships to other oaks. In: Plumb, Timothy R., technical coordinator. Proceedings of the symposium on the ecology, management and utilization of California oaks; 1979 June 26-28; Claremont, CA. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-44. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station: 75-80. [7017] 17. Myatt, Rodney G. 1980. Canyon live oak vegetation in the Sierra Nevada. In: Plumb, Timothy R., technical coordinator. Proceedings of the symposium on the ecology, management and utilization of California oaks; 1979 June 26-28; Claremont, CA. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-44. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station: 86-91. [7019] 18. Olson, David F., Jr. 1974. Quercus L. oak. In: Schopmeyer, C. S., ed. Seeds of woody plants in the United States. Agric. Handb. 450. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: 692-703. [7737] 19. Oosting, H. J.; Billings, W. D. 1943. The red fir forest of the Sierra Nevada: Abietum magnificae. Ecological Monographs. 13(3): 260-273. [11521] 20. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843] 21. Sampson, Arthur W.; Jespersen, Beryl S. 1963. California range brushlands and browse plants. Berkeley, CA: University of California, Division of Agricultural Sciences, California Agricultural Experiment Station, Extension Service. 162 p. [3240] 22. Sawyer, John O.; Thornburgh, Dale A.; Griffin, James R. 1977. Mixed evergreen forest. In: Barbour, Michael G.; Major, Jack, eds. Terrestrial vegetation of California. New York: John Wiley and Sons: 359-381. [7218] 23. Slayback, Robert D.; Clary, Raimond F., Jr. 1988. Vegetative solutions to erosion control in the Tahoe Basin. In: Rieger, John P.; Williams, Bradford K., eds. Proceedings of the second native plant revegetation symposium; 1987 April 15-18; San Diego, CA. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin - Arboretum, Society of Ecological Restoration & Management: 66-69. [4097] 24. Smith, Ed; Adams, Gerald. 1991. Incline Village/Crystal Bay defensible space handbook. SP-91-06. Reno, NV: University of Nevada. 61 p. [18867] 25. Thornburgh, Dale. 1990. Picea breweriana Wats. Brewer spruce. In: Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H., technical coordinators. Silvics of North America. Volume 1. Conifers. Agric. Handb. 654. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: 181-186. [13383] 26. Thorne, Robert F. 1976. The vascular plant communities of California. In: Latting, June, ed. Symposium proceedings: plant communities of southern California; 1974 May 4; Fullerton, CA. Special Publication No. 2. Berkeley, CA: California Native Plant Society: 1-31. [3289] 27. Tucker, John M. 1980. Taxonomy of California oaks. In: Plumb, Timothy R., technical coordinator. Proceedings of the symposium on the ecology, management and utilization of California oaks; 1979 June 26 - June 28; Claremont, CA. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-44. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station: 19-29. [7011] 28. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1982. National list of scientific plant names. Vol. 1. List of plant names. SCS-TP-159. Washington, DC. 416 p. [11573] 29. Van Dersal, William R. 1938. Native woody plants of the United States, their erosion-control and wildlife values. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture. 362 p. [4240] 30. Biswell, Harold H. 1974. Effects of fire on chaparral. In: Kozlowski, T. T.; Ahlgren, C. E., eds. Fire and ecosystems. New York: Academic Press: 321-364. [14547]

Index

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