• IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE
• PALATABILITY
• NUTRITIONAL VALUE
• COVER VALUE
• VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES
• OTHER USES AND VALUES
• MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS

IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE:

Birds, insects, and mammals consume smooth sumac fruits and leaves [9,69,81,95]. Because the drupes persist through the fall and winter months, smooth sumac provides a ready food source when other foods are scarce or unavailable. It is browsed by deer, particularly during the winter months when more preferred browse is scarce [95]. This species provides little forage for domestic livestock [66].

PALATABILITY:

Smooth sumac fruits are palatable to many species of birds and small mammals. Wild turkey, gray partridge, and mourning dove also feed on the fruits [78]. Smooth sumac is moderately palatable to wintering mule deer [66,78]. In general, however, smooth sumac is relatively unpalatable to most big game and domestic livestock. Overall palatability is as follows [26]:

                       CO     ND       UT       WY

Cattle                Poor   ----     Poor     Poor
Domestic sheep        Poor   ----     Poor     Poor
Horses                Poor   ----     Poor     Poor
Pronghorn             ----   ----     Poor     Poor
Bighorn               ----   ----     ----     ----
Elk                   ----   ----     Poor     Poor
Mt. goat              ----   ----     ----     ----
Mule deer             ----   ----     Poor     Fair
White-tailed deer     ----   Fair     Fair     ----
Small mammals         ----   ----     Fair     Good
Small nongame birds   ----   ----     Fair     Fair
Upland game birds     ----   ----     Fair     Fair
Waterfowl             ----   ----     Poor     Poor

NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

Smooth sumac is rated poor in both energy and protein value [26]. Soper and others [77] observed significant (P<0.05) seasonal fluctuations in smooth sumac nutritional value and an increase in dry matter digestibility after treatment with herbicides.

COVER VALUE:

Smooth sumac, which often grows in dense thickets, provides cover for many birds and mammals [24,12,53,72,92]. Cover value has been rated as follows [26]:

                       CO       ND       UT       WY

Pronghorn             ----     ----     Poor     Poor
Elk                   ----     ----     Fair     Fair
Mule deer             ----     ----     Fair     Fair
White-tailed deer     ----     Fair     ----     Fair
Small mammals         Fair     Fair     ----     Fair
Small nongame birds   Fair     ----     Good     Fair
Upland game birds     ----     ----     Fair     Fair
Waterfowl             ----     ----     Poor     Poor

VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES:

Smooth sumac is rated low in potential for short-term revegetation and moderate in potential for long-term revegetation [15]. It is useful in controlling soil erosion and for roadside planting [66]. Smooth sumac shrubs were among 17 native species successfully planted on an abandoned landfill in New York, chosen because of their value to wildlife. Survival of planted smooth sumac shrubs was greater than 50% on reclaimed strip mines in Texas [35]. In Montana it is propagated commercially [7] and has been used with limited success to revegetate road cuts [47].

Smooth sumac recovered naturally in disturbed stream channels in Tennessee [48] and abandoned coal mines in West Virginia [48,74] though the authors did not indicate whether the regeneration was from seed or rhizomes.

Propagation: Rootstocks can be easily propagated [78] and generally survive even when transplanted onto very severe sites [66].

Seed production and handling characteristics are described as "good" [65]. Smooth sumac seed remains viable 5 or more years in storage [78]. Seed stored for 10 years exhibited 63% germination following sulfuric acid treatments [16]. Sulfuric acid treatments aid germination [15,16,41,44].

OTHER USES AND VALUES:

Smooth sumac is planted as an ornamental because of its colorful fall foliage [44]. It is recommended in Utah for xeriscaping due to its drought tolerance [37]. It is also planted as a shelterbelt species and on depleted game ranges [16,67] and is recommended for use in "living" snow fences where wildlife habitat improvement is an objective [72].

Laboratory analyses of smooth sumac plant tissue indicate the presence of antifungal and antibacterial compounds [71,59].

Native Americans traditionally made hot and cold beverages [39], dyes, and medicines from smooth sumac fruits. Young sprouts were eaten in salads [10].

MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:

In a 1983 review of management practices for controlling smooth sumac, Evans [30] determined that smooth sumac is susceptible to a number of control practices, including cutting 2 or 3 successive years shortly after flowering or cutting 5 times over a period of 3 years. The author also indicates that cutting can be used in combination with herbicides and prescribed burning. As discussed in the Fire Effects section of this report, spring burning alone often causes smooth sumac to proliferate. Evans recommends combining cutting and burning and suggests herbicides where appropriate.

Packard [64] reports that cutting mature stems at flowering helps control smooth sumac, but may be less effective in the case of those which had been previously cut or partially burned at a less sensitive time.

Hutchinson [49] reports that smooth sumac is one of the primary invaders of hill prairies in Illinois, where dense clones eliminate other native species. He suggests however, that it not be eliminated totally from communities, and should be left in ravines and draws. Removal of shrubs by cutting is recommended in July, followed by sprout cutting in August. He also indicates that fire may be a useful control (see Fire Management Considerations section).

The general response of smooth sumac to browsing is unclear. Wambolt [88] reported that it is a decreaser, whereas other researchers have classified it as an increaser [5]. Still others report that on many sites its response is unpredictable [32]. Daubenmire [23] followed the progress of disturbed smooth sumac thickets in a western Washington palouse prairie site and concluded that the thickets are highly dynamic under "heavy" grazing. One large thicket thinned out over 10 years, while another became established and spread in a different place.

Though treatment with herbicides increased both crude protein and dry matter digestibility in several Oklahoma shrub forage species, only dry matter digestibility increased significantly (P<0.05) in smooth sumac [77].

Related categories for SPECIES: Rhus glabra | Smooth Sumac