VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Salix hastata | Halberd Willow 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
In interior Alaska, willows (Salix spp.), are the most important source
of browse for moose.  Halberd willow is a lightly browsed species by
moose and is considered an unimportant dietary component [17].  Willow
shoots, catkins, leaves, and buds are eaten by numerous small mammals
and birds [10].  
  


PALATABILITY : 
In interior Alaska, Halberd willow is considered less palatable to moose
than Alaska willow (S. alaxensis), littletree willow (S. arbusculoides),
sandbar willow (S. interior), and tealeaf willow (S. planifolia ssp.
pulchra) [17].  Palatability of willows increases as the season
progresses [16].  
  


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Halberd willow is useful in stabilizing streambanks and providing
erosion control on severely disturbed sites [9].  Willow species are the
most important colonizers of disturbed sites in the Alaskan taiga
because of their ability to produce root and root crown shoots, which
provide for quick recovery [25].  On the North Slope of Alaska, large
areas of riparian shrub river valleys were destroyed when the
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) was constructed.  The affected area
had 12,300 acres (492 ha) of primary moose habitat prior to construction
of TAPS, of which 2,825 acres (113 ha) or 23 percent were disturbed.
Habitat restoration was not possible on 60 percent of the disturbed
area, which had been mined below the level of the river.  Three to four
years after disturbance, natural regeneration had occurred on all
disturbed sites within the impact area.  Salix hastata and other willows
colonized all moist silty areas and dry areas but not moist gravel
areas.  Site conditions affecting natural revegetation of disturbed
areas were similar to those affecting riparian succession on areas not
disturbed by construction [6].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
All willows produce salicin, which is closely related chemically to
salicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin.  Native Americans of
the Yukon Territory used the chewed leave of willows for mosquito bites,
bee stings, and stomach aches.  The branches were used for muskrat
traps, fish traps, hare traps, and ribs of birchbark canoes [11].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Willow establishment along riparian zones is an effective management
tool because of the importance of willows in stabilizing streambanks and
providing erosion control on disturbed sites [10].  

Related categories for Species: Salix hastata | Halberd Willow