VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Sarcobatus vermiculatus | Black Greasewood 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Black greasewood is a valuable browse for livestock and wildlife,
particularly during fall and winter [50,55].  It does, however, contain
soluable oxalates which are poisonous to livestock when the plant is
eaten in large quantities [59,62].  Consumption of black greasewood has
resulted in mass sheep mortality but cattle are rarely poisoned [55].
Sheep generally die after consuming approximately 2 pounds (0.9 kg) of
leaves, but cattle can eat 3 to 4 pounds (1.4-1.8 kg) before death
occurs [62].  Toxicity generally increases in fall as the plant matures
[62], but concentrated feeding on the young stems and leaves during the
early spring can cause illness or death [50].  Livestock poisoning is
rarely a problem where greasewood grows intermixed with other forage
species [29].

In many areas, black greasewood provides forage for pronghorn and mule
deer [29,59].  Small mammals such as the white-tailed prairie dog,
chisel-toothed kangaroo rat, Ord kangaroo rat, painted chipmunk, western
chipmunk, porcupine, and jackrabbits also feed on black greasewood
[4,50,59].


PALATABILITY : 
Palatability of black greasewood varies geographically and with site
characteristics.  Foliage tends to concentrate alkalines, and this shrub
may be less palatable on some sites, such as on certain California
alkali flats, than on many other western sites [51].  Palatability of
black greasewood has been rated as follows [10,51]:

                      CA     CO       MT       ND       UT       WY

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


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 

Black greasewood is rated fair in energy and protein value [10].
Average crude protein content of Montana greasewood from 2 seasons
averaged 8.4 percent and 9.0 percent [23].  Nutritional content as
established by the National Academy of Sciences [35] is as follows:

                        Browse        Buds (fresh)

Ash               %       14.6        16.3
Crude fiber       %       23.5         9.3
Ether extract     %        3.4         3.3
N-free extract    %       37.3        36.8
Protein (Nx6.25)  %       21.4        34.3
Calcium           %        0.91       ----
Phosphorus        %        0.18       ---- 
Copper          mg/kg     15.7        ----
Manganese       mg/kg     25.8        ----
Carotene        mg/kg     43.4        ----        
Cobolt          mg/kg      0.060      ----


COVER VALUE : 
The spiny-tipped branches and coarse structure of black greasewood
provide good cover for small nesting birds and for many species of small
mammals.  Cover value has been rated as follows [8,10,26]:

                      CO       MT       ND       OR      UT       WY

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



VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Black greasewood is well-suited for stabilizing disturbed sites such as
mine spoils and road scars on saline or alkaline soils [29,37].  It is
rated as having low to moderate potential for erosion control and for
short-term revegetation, but moderate to high potential for long-term
revegetation projects [10].  Plants may be transplanted, propagated from
cuttings, or grown from seed [37,42].

Transplants:  Black greasewood has been successfully transplanted onto
mine spoils in New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming [16,27,60].  At a mine site
in southwestern Wyoming, mature plants were transplanted onto an
overburden dump with a pH of 7.0 to 7.5 [27].  Establishment of mature
black greasewood provided some immediate cover for wildlife and created
islands for later seed dispersal.  Relative costs and first-year
survivorship were documented as follows [27]:

                 # transplanted # surviving % survival cost/plant

 mature wildlings        31           30         97      $2.26
 front-end loader 
   transplants            8            8        100      $4.49
                       
Survivorship 5 years after transplants were established at a Uinta Basin
site averaged 75 percent, with an average height of 15 inches (38 cm)
[16].

Seed:  Black greasewood has been successfully seeded onto mine spoils in
southwestern Wyoming and elsewhere [27].  At least 500 pounds (227 kg)
of seed is sold annually [39].  Seed can remain viable for more than 5
years if stored properly [39].  Seed from a nearby source should be used
to ensure that the particular ecotype selected will grow well in the
desired location [39].  Appropriate seed collection and storage
techniques have been examined in detail [39].

Cuttings:  Rooting greasewood cuttings is difficult and success may
depend in part on yearly variations in temperature and precipitation
[42].  Cuttings from greenhouse-grown plants tend to root more readily
than do cuttings obtained from field-grown plants [42].

Black greasewood concentrates large amounts of sodium in the surface
soils under the canopy [45].  This sodium accumulation may eventually
alter the soil chemistry, making reclamation more difficult [49].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Black greasewood has traditionally been used as fuel and for planting
sticks by the Hopi and other Native American peoples [55].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Grazing:  Black greasewood increases in response to grazing [33].
Greasewood's typical valley-bottom habitat makes this community best
suited for late fall, winter, and early spring cattle range [33].

Chemical and mechanical control:  Black greasewood is difficult to
control with herbicides, fire, or mechanical treatments [7,33].  Plants
commonly sprout after application of various herbicides [62].  After
partial kill by herbicides, black greasewood typically exhibits an
increased growth rate and a lengthened period of accelerated vegetative
development [49].

Soil chemistry:  Sodium, the major cation present in black greasewood
leaves, may comprise up to 69 to 88 percent (57-115 mg/g) of the total
cations present [45].  Sodium uptake by black greasewood and the
associated decay of sodium-enriched leaf litter can alter soil chemistry
[43,45].  Erosion, resulting from or increased by overgrazing, can also
result in increased soil salinity [43,45].  These soil changes may
eventually make a site too harsh for the growth of sagebrush (Artemisia
spp.) [43].

Related categories for Species: Sarcobatus vermiculatus | Black Greasewood