VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Salix bebbiana | Bebb Willow 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
The wood of Bebb willow is medium hard, fine grained, lightweight, and
brittle [36,41].  Bebb willow is the most important producer of "diamond
willow".  This term applies to several species with diamond-shaped
patterns on their trunks.  When the stems are carved they result in a
pattern of diamond-shaped cavities with a sharp contrast between the
white sapwood and the reddish brown heartwood.  Bebb willow is carved
into canes, lamp posts, furniture, and candle holders [41].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Wildlife:  Bebb willow is a major source of browse for moose, elk, and
deer [18,32,34,41].  Along the Flathead River in Montana, Bebb willow
has been rated as highly valuable browse for elk, with heavy utilization
common [18].  One year after a fire in northeastern Minnesota, Bebb
willow was browsed frequently by moose [32].  In winter, heavy snows
tend to bend the branches down so that they are in reach of both moose
and snowshoe hares [41].  Results of a southwestern Montana food habit
study showed that Bebb willow became increasingly important browse for
moose during late winter, making up 15.4 percent of the total forage
taken.  Its height made it easily accessible when low-growing shrubs
such as bog birch (Betula glandulosa) and Wolf willow (Salix wolfii)
were covered with snow [10].  Bebb willow shoots, buds, and catkins are
eaten by many small mammals, birds, and beaver [17,18,43]. In Illinois,
Carolina and black-capped chickadees excavate cavities in Bebb willow
for nesting [20].

Livestock:  Bebb willow stands usually grow as widely scattered shrubs,
allowing for easy livestock access.  Forage production is moderate to
high, and heavy livestock use of shrubs and grasses in this habitat is
common [4].  In southwestern Montana, Bebb willow made up 10.9 percent
of the total forage consumed by cattle in the summer [10].


PALATABILITY : 
Bebb willow has been rated as highly palatable to livestock, big game,
and beaver [23,45].  Willow (Salix spp.) palatability increases as the
season progresses [40].  The relish and degree of use shown by livestock
and wildlife species for Bebb willow in several western states is rated
as follows [9]:

                       CO      MT      ND      UT      WY

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


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Bebb willow has been rated as fair in energy value and poor in protein
value [9].  Leaves and twigs collected from northeastern Minnesota had
the following energy and nutrient values (percent dry weight) [16]:

                       June         August        Sept           Dec
                  (leaves/twigs)   (leaves)     (leaves)       (twigs)
                ---------------------------------------------------------
Energy (cal/g)       ---/4,740      4,838         ---           5,094     
Ash                  4.9/6.2         5.7          5.2            2.1
Protein             17.9/9.7        11.5          9.4            6.3
Ether extract        3.6/2.1         3.7          4.6            4.8
Crude fiber         11.4/23.8       12.2         13.6           29.6
N-free extract      62.2/58.3       66.9         67.2           57.3

Nutrient composition (percent) of Bebb willow bark collected in the
spring from Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, was as follows
[29]:

Neutral detergent fiber: 35.5 
Acid detergent fiber: 34.4
Lignin: 13.1
Cellulose: 20.4
Ash: 2.8
Invitro dry matter digestability: 45.0
Crude Protein: 3.8
Phosphorus: 0.1
Calcium: 0.8


COVER VALUE : 
Bebb willow provides cover and protection for many birds and mammals.
It also provides shade for fish in streams and ponds [1,9,15,18].  The
degree to which Bebb willow provides environmental protection during one
or more seasons for wildlife species is rated as follows [9]:

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


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Bebb willow is a relatively good soil stabilizer and is valuable for
revegetating streambanks and other disturbed sites [4,45].  Bebb willow
readily invades mine spoil piles and has been observed invading barren
acid soils near Sudbury, Ontario, particularly after such soils were
treated with lime and phospate [45].

Bebb willow cuttings should be planted on sites that have sufficient
moisture to start and carry the cuttings through the growing season
[44].  Cuttings are best taken in the spring from dormant 2- to
4-year-old wood [4,21].  Cuttings 12 to 20 inches (30-50 cm) long and
greater than 0.4 inch (1 cm) in diameter produce best results, with the
cuttings rooting freely along the entire length of the stem.  Roots and
shoots from cuttings can be expected to appear 10 to 20 days after
planting.  Using root cuttings and nursery-grown stock will produce the
best results [4].  Bebb willow hardwood stem cuttings had a survival
rate of 30 to 70 percent on mine overburden in northern Alberta.
Mortality was largely attributed to rodent damage.  It had poor
overwintering ability on oil sand tailings [45].

Bebb willow seed is not available from commercial sources because it is
generally viable for only a few days.  The maximum period of storage is
4 to 6 weeks, but viability is markedly reduced after 10 days for seed
stored at room temperature [45].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Bebb willow was formerly used for baseball bats, charcoal, and gunpowder
[41].  Native Americans used the flexible willow stems for baskets,
arrow shafts, scoops, and fish traps.  Willows provided medicine for
many ailments such as cuts, indigestion, worms, and stomach complaints
[23].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Soil management:  Soils of sites dominated by Bebb willow are often
compacted by livestock.  Deferring grazing until sites are drier may
reduce trampling and compaction problems [4].

Insects:  The willow sawfly can be a serious pest of willow cuttings
[45].

Control:  Herbicides are sometimes used to remove willows from riparian
areas, but current environmental constraints make this practice
uncommon.  Results are erratic, due to high variability within
populations and the ability of Bebb willow to rapidly sprout from
undamaged root crowns [18].

Related categories for Species: Salix bebbiana | Bebb Willow