VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Vaccinium alaskensis | Alaska Blueberry 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Alaska blueberry fruits are utilized by many species of wildlife
including songbirds, gamebirds, mice, chipmunks, squirrels, raccoons,
and black bears [38,55].  Along the coast of British Columbia, grizzly
bears consume the berries [6].

Twigs and foliage are used as browse by rabbit, snowshoe hare, bear,
goat, elk, and deer [29,38].

Alaska blueberry is very important as winter browse because it is often
found in older stands with shallow snowpack, making it more accessible
to wildlife.  Utilization may also increase in early winter in open
areas when lower growing vegetation becomes covered with snow.


PALATABILITY : 
Palatability of Vaccinium species as browse is rated at fair to moderate
[12].

Alaska blueberry leaves found in forested areas are more palatable to
deer than those found in clearcuts [28].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Alaska blueberry leaves collected in clearcuts differ in nutrient
content from leaves collected in older stands.  In older stands, leaves
have a higher concentration of nitrogen and percentage of digestible
protein.  However, leaves from clearcut areas are higher in overall
digestible dry matter.  Values for digestible protein (DP) and
digestible dry matter (DDM) are as follows:

                           DP (% dry weight)      DDM (% dry weight)
               clearcut          4.8                     57.8 
                forest          11.2                     54.7

Van Horne [52] found that phosphorous and potassium concentrations are
also greater in leaves from older stands.  These concentrations decrease
sharply from spring to fall.  Nutrient concentrations (percent dry
weight) are as follows:
                                  May        October

                 nitrogen         5.79         1.54
              phosphorous         0.81         0.14
                potassium         1.93         0.73

Vaccinium species in general have sweet berries that contain high
concentrations of mono- and di- saccharides [48].  They are rich in
vitamin C and high in energy content, but low in fat [44].


COVER VALUE : 
Alaska blueberry presumably provides cover for a variety of wildlife
species.  It often forms a dense understory layer that may serve as
hiding, resting, or nesting sites for many smaller birds and mammals.


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Much of the natural disturbance in areas that Alaska blueberry occupies
is a result of windthrow.  Alaska blueberry readily colonizes sites
where trees have been blown down, the canopy has opened up, and sunlight
has been made available [1,2].

After the eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington, Alaska blueberry
plants did not develop adventitious root systems or change the
orientation of their rhizomes in order to recover from burial by tephra
(volcanic ejecta), although many other species did [5].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Alaska blueberry fruits are edible and sweet [33,55].  They are used in
jams and jellies, and along with ovalleaf blueberry, constitute the
majority of blueberries picked along coastal Alaska [55].  Alaska
blueberry may produce up to 100 berries per bush, making commercial
collection very time efficient and profitable.  The berries have been an
important traditional food source for Native Americans including the
Nuxalk of the Bella Coola region of British Columbia [36].  Blueberry
(Vaccinium spp.) leaves, flowers, and rhizomes have also been used for
medicinal purposes [53].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Alaska blueberry rapidly sprouts from underground stems or establishes
by seed within 3 years of clearcutting [2].  Desired commercial tree
species should be established as soon as possible after timber harvest
because Alaska blueberry may provide competition to tree seedlings.
However, most western blueberry species are severely damaged by
postlogging treatments such as mechanical piling that include harsh
scarification [39].

Alaska blueberry in old spruce-hemlock stands in central Oregon
responded best to heavy or extreme thinning treatments [3].

Net biomass production of Alaska blueberry differs drastically in
different habitats.  In hemlock-spruce types, Alaska blueberry produced
98.6 pounds per acre (110.5 kg/ha) of biomass when associated with skunk
cabbage but only 8.66 pounds per acre (9.7 kg/ha) when associated with
bunchberry dogwood [29].

Values for available biomass in four forest types are as follows [2]:

    FOREST TYPE         STAND AGE          BIOMASS AVAILABLE
     clearcut             1-25 yrs.       740 lbs/acre (829 kg/ha)
dense, even-aged        26-150 yrs.        15 lbs/acre (16 kg/ha)
mature, even-aged      150-250 yrs.        62 lbs/acre (69 kg/ha)
    old-growth            >250 yrs.       337 lbs/acre (378 kg/ha)

Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) are not actively cultivated in the
Northwest, but they do produce a profitable and highly demanded crop.
Most of the naturally occurring blueberry fields in Oregon and
Washington are seral and have originated from wildfire.  Succession must
be delayed in order to preserve areas where blueberry production is the
most important land use.  Burning every 2 to 3 years and chemical or
mechanical weeding may help maintain these areas of high berry
production [40].

Management techniques for cultivation of western Vaccinium species have
not been well documented, although eastern blueberries have been
cultivated successfully for years.  Vacciniums are most often propogated
by hardwood cuttings but also can be grown from seed.  In general, the
seeds should be planted in a mixture of sand and peat.  Seedlings grown
in the greenhouse can be transplanted 6 to 7 weeks after emergence but
should not be transferred to the field until after the first growing
season [11].

Vaccinium spp. can be controlled by applying 2,4-D or 2,4,5-T to
foliage, stems, or basal areas [24].

Related categories for Species: Vaccinium alaskensis | Alaska Blueberry