VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Vaccinium arboreum | Tree Sparkleberry 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
The wood of tree sparkleberry is brown to reddish-brown, fine-grained,
tough and hard [38,48,52].  Wood weighs an average of 48 pounds per
cubic foot (112 kg/cu m) [48].  It was formerly used to make various
tool handles and craft items [48,52].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Browse:  White-tailed deer browse tree sparkleberry in many areas
[15,21].  It is considered an important summer deer food in parts of
Georgia [15].  Many species of hares and rabbits also feed on the leaves
and twigs of species within this genus [45].

Fruit and flowers:  A wide variety of birds and mammals readily feed on
the fruit of tree sparkleberry [38,48].  Fruits and flowers provide
spring and summer food for the bobwhite quail [15].  Black bear,
chipmunks, and many species of birds, including the American robin,
ruffed grouse, and tanagers, feed on the fruit of Vacciniums [45].
Flowers are attractive to various bees [44].


PALATABILITY : 
Tree sparkleberry browse is reportedly of "low to medium" palatability
to white-tailed deer [21].  Berries are palatable to many species of
birds and mammals.


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Nutrient content of tree sparkleberry browse varies by season and burn
history of a particular site [20].  Food values are as follows [20]:

Date     burn      nutrient content (%) at 15% moisture level 
sampled  history   %air dry   protein   fat  fiber   N-free  ash  phos-  Ca
         (#burns   weight                            extract      phoric
          reported)                                               acid

spring    none     26.4        9.75     3.93  25.46   40.47  5.39  0.23  0.39
spring    1        22.9       13.25     7.85  13.78   47.37  2.75  0.37  0.32
summer    none     37.8        6.65     4.45  22.46   48.19  3.24  0.15  0.87
summer    1        32.0        7.50     4.13  17.01   53.52  2.84  0.18  0.52
summer    2        34.6        7.17       --    --      --    --   0.17    -
summer    3        22.9       11.13       --    --      --    --   0.32    -
fall      none     41.0        6.64      4.66  21.27  48.43  4.00  0.12  1.11
fall      1        45.5        6.29      4.80  20.73  49.75  3.42  0.14  0.79
winter    none     48.2        5.31      4.51  26.15  45.60  3.44  0.14  1.01
winter    1        42.9        6.63      4.07  22.19  47.94  4.16  0.20  0.91
winter    2        49.3        5.51      4.07  23.85  48.38  3.18  0.14  0.78
winter    3        44.2        6.35      2.96  21.88  50.44  3.38  0.15  0.61


COVER VALUE : 
Stephens [38] reported that most birds rarely nest in tree sparkleberry
and typically seek out denser vegetation.  However, Thackston and others
[42] noted that shrubby thickets of tree sparkleberry form favored
activity centers for transplanted ruffed grouse in northern Georgia.


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Tree sparkleberry bark was formerly used in tanning leathers [48].
Extracts obtained from roots were traditionally used to treat diarrhea
[48].  Unlike the fruit of most Vacciniums, the berries of tree
sparkleberry are inedible to humans [44].

Tree sparkleberry flowers abundantly and is "very ornamental" [44].
Flowers are a good source of nectar for foraging honey bees [44].  Tree
sparkleberry may have potential value for developing commercial
fruit-producing strains of blueberries [2].  Highbush blueberry
(Vaccinium corymbosum) can be grafted onto the rootstock of tree
sparkleberry.  The resulting cultivars are well suited to droughty
upland sites with soils with a relatively high pH [2].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Fruit production:  Fruit production is highly variable in tree
sparkleberry.  Yields are generally greater in older burned stands than
in young open stands [15].  Plants in pine plantations may not bear
fruit [15].  [See Fire Management Considerations].

Grazing:  Tree sparkleberry apparently decreases in response to heavy
livestock grazing.  Cover by grazing intensity was as follows in an
eastern Louisiana study [8]:

            light             medium            heavy
     grazed   ungrazed    grazed   ungrazed   grazed  ungrazed
              control              control            control

     .15        .32        .13       .14        .01      .00

Chemical control:  Tree sparkleberry is resistant to aerially applied
herbicides [36].  Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) exhibit variable
susceptibility to herbicides such as 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T, glyphosate,
karbutilate, and picloram [51].

Drought resistance:  Although reportedly resistant to drought [2],
plants occasionally succumb during extreme dry periods [45].

Related categories for Species: Vaccinium arboreum | Tree Sparkleberry