VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Spiraea betulifolia | White Spirea 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
White spirea is not an important shrub species to livestock or
wildlife.  The leaves of white spirea persist on the plant longer than
those of other deciduous shrub species, which may account for its
moderate food value during autumn [40].  The low food value is sometimes
demonstrated by the substantial presence of white spirea on overgrazed
ranges, especially in areas where cattle concentrate [40].  White
spirea can grow in colonies, but not to the extent where it can be
adequately utilized by livestock or wildlife for cover.


PALATABILITY : 
White spirea's palatability rating is poor to fair for domesticated
range animals.  Mule deer and elk also find white spirea relatively
unpalatable [35].  The species' low palatability may result from the
presence of a volatile oil containing bitter salicylic aldehyde [40].
The relish and degree of use shown by livestock and wildlife species for
white spirea in Montana is rated as follows [12]:

                           Montana      * Information for other states
                                          not available.
Cattle                       poor
Sheep                        fair
Horses                       poor
Antelope                     fair
Elk                          poor
Mule deer                    fair
White-tailed deer            fair
Small mammals                poor
Small nongame birds          poor
Upland game birds            poor
Waterfowl                    poor


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
White spirea can serve as summer forage for livestock [39].  Most
studies, however, conclude that white spirea is a poor forage species,
and is generally not used by livestock or wildlife [12,19,29,35,40].


COVER VALUE : 
White spirea is rated poor for cover value.  Because it only achieves
a height from 1 to 3 feet (60 - 90 cm), the cover value for
wildlife is virtually non-existent [18].  The degree to which 
white spirea provides environmental protection during one or more
seasons for wildlife species is as follows [12]:

                         Montana        * Information for other states
                                          not available.            
Elk                        poor
Mule deer                  poor
White-tailed deer          poor
Small mammals              poor
Small non-game birds       poor
Upland game birds          poor


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
White spirea is generally not used for rehabilitation of disturbed
sites.  White spirea was used, however, along with other native shrubs,
to revegetate road cuts in northwestern Montana [21].  It was found to
have a 57 percent survival rate 4 years after planting and a composite
rating of 33 percent when measured for growth, vigor, natural spread,
and soil stabilization [21].  It was rated as 'medium' for soil erosion
reduction potential due to its moderately aggressive growth [18].  In
its first 3 years, however, white spirea was also found to show slow
growth, and only fair rates of growth, cover reproduction, and
maintenance thereafter [7,9,21].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
NO-ENTRY


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
White spirea is generally not selectively managed for cover, forage, or
other uses.  It has been found to have a high vegetative response to
many types of disturbances from logging to wildfires [35,42].  White
spirea generally regenerates quickly, and thus provides soil
stabilization after disturbance [21].  Since white spirea is not highly
selected by wildlife as forage, it would be a good species to introduce
into disturbed sites.

Related categories for Species: Spiraea betulifolia | White Spirea