VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Rubus ursinus | Trailing Blackberry 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Wildlife:  Trailing blackberry provides food and cover for many wildlife
species [9,14].  Blackberries are eaten by numerous birds, including the
ruffed grouse, northern bobwhite, sharp-tailed grouse, California quail,
ring-necked pheasant, blue grouse, gray (Hungarian) partridge,
band-tailed pigeon, American robin, yellow-breasted chat, pine grosbeak,
gray catbird, and summer tanager [3,10,64].  Jays, pigeons, northern
mockingbird, sparrows, tanagers, thrashers, and towhees, consume the
fruit of trailing blackberry and nest in its tangled branches [13].
Mammals, such as the coyote, common opossum, skunks, gray fox, red fox,
raccoon, squirrels, chipmunks, and black bear, consume the fruit of
blackberries [10,64].

Black-tailed deer feed on the stems and foliage of trailing blackberry
[13], and in some parts of California it is considered a preferred
browse [14].  In the Coast Range of western Oregon, leaves are selected
by deer in all seasons except summer, when a wide variety of other foods
are present [34].  In many areas trailing blackberry is particularly
important to deer during the fall and winter [12,35].  Deer often feed
heavily on the foliage until the leaves are covered by snow [12].  The
young leaves, which develop earlier than those of most other associated
shrubs, provide an important food source when forage supplies are lowest
and deer are threatened with malnutrition [34].  Hines and Land [35]
report that trailing blackberry browse is a preferred winter food of
black-tailed deer inhabiting Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forests
of the Oregon Coast Ranges.  In this area it supplied nearly 50 percent
of the total deer forage at the beginning of winter.  In other winter
feeding trials, deer reduced the leaves and twigs of trailing blackberry
by as much as 80 to 89 percent [34].

Elk feed on trailing blackberry through much of the year in parts of
California, although utilization appears to be highest during the fall
and winter [30].  Rabbits, porcupines, mountain beaver, and beaver
occasionally consume the stems, leaves, and cambium of blackberries
[10,64].

Livestock:  Blackberries, in general, provide only minimal browse for
domestic livestock.  In some locations, trailing blackberry is
moderately grazed by domestic sheep but is rarely used by cattle [37].


PALATABILITY : 
Berries:  Fruits of the trailing blackberry are sweet and succulent at
maturity [9].  Berries are palatable to many species of birds and
mammals.

Browse:  Trailing blackberry has been described as a relatively
unpalatable shrub [49].  However, in parts of California and presumably
elsewhere, deer exhibit a marked preference for the stem and foliage of
this plant.  Most blackberries are relatively unpalatable to domestic
livestock.


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
The specific food value of trailing blackberry browse has not been
documented, but it is considered to be good nutritionally [35].  In
feeding trials conducted by Hines [34], it was the only native browse
species capable of maintaining the weight of deer over winter.  The food
value of trailing blackberry was found to vary seasonally, with the
crude fat content of the leaves peaking in the fall.  Only slight
seasonal changes were noted in the crude fiber content of the leaves
[34].


COVER VALUE : 
Trailing blackberry provides important cover for a wide variety of
wildlife species [14].  Dense thickets of blackberries form good nesting
sites for many small birds including, thrashers, jays, pigeons, northern
mockingbird, sparrows, tanagers, and towhees [10,13].  The endangered
least Bell's vireo frequently nests in trailing blackberry thickets
along willow (Salix spp.)-cottonwood (Populus spp.)-oak (Quercus spp.)
ecotones in certain riparian areas of California [23].  Mammals such as
rabbits, red squirrel, black bear, and beaver utilize blackberry
thickets for cover in many areas [64].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Blackberries, because of their ability to grow well on infertile soils,
may be valuable in preventing soil erosion on some sites [6,64].
Trailing blackberry has been used to at least a limited extent in
rehabilitation projects in the West.  Expected mortality was estimated
at approximately 50 percent following plantings in southern California.
Planting densities of 66 per acre (163/ha) were recommended for best
results [29].  Plants may be propagated vegetatively, transplanted, or
seeded onto disturbed sites.  Seed which has been scarified can be
successfully planted in late summer or early fall [6].  Brinkman [6]
reports that cold treatment is not required for fall plantings.
Previously stratified and scarified seed can be planted in spring.  Good
results have been obtained after seeds were planted with a drill and
covered with 1/8 to 3/16 inch (0.3-0.5 cm) of soil.


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Fruits of the trailing blackberry are sweet and edible [27].  The
commercially grown loganberry, youngberry, and boysenberry were
originally derived from this species [54].

Native Americans historically ate fresh blackberries in summer.  Fruit
was dried and combined with meat to make cakes which were eaten in
winter [13].  Unripened berries were soaked in water to make a cool
refreshing drink, and leaves or vines were used in making teas.  Roots
were boiled in water to make various medicinal preparations [9].  The
fruit and stems of many blackberries have also been used to produce
various tonics or medicines [6].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Competition:  Trailing blackberry quickly assumes prominence on burned
or logged sites.  After disturbance it can compete aggressively with
conifer seedlings in many locations.  Trailing blackberry frequently
makes up a large proportion of the shrub cover on scarified plots in
brushfields of coastal Oregon [43] and has been described as a principal
understory species in recently clearcut Douglas-fir forests of the
Olympic Mountains of Washington [19].  This highly competitive shrub
also becomes prominent on cutover sites in many coniferous forests of
both northeastern Oregon and northern Idaho [8].

Chemical control:  Many chemicals including glyphosate, triclopyr, and
roundup, have proven effective in controlling trailing blackberry
[8,49].  Fifty to 80 percent control has been achieved with roundup in
some locations [49].

Related categories for Species: Rubus ursinus | Trailing Blackberry