VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Vaccinium oxycoccos | Bog Cranberry 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Bog cranberry is of limited use to wildlife.  It is not utilized as
browse by big game animals [9].  A few bird species including Hudsonian
godwits, sharp-tailed grouse, and ring-necked pheasants eat bog
cranberry fruits [30,39,48].  Small mammals such as chipmunks,
squirrels, rabbits, and hares may occasionally utilize the berries.


PALATABILITY : 
Bog cranberry fruits are presumably moderately palatable [21,50].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
The value of bog cranberry for rehabilitation of disturbed sites is not
well documented.  It has, however, been successfully transplanted to a
saline-impacted bog in Indiana [53].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Bog cranberry fruits have good flavor and are often used to make jams
and jellies.  However, they are seldom abundant enough to be gathered in
large quantities [21,50].  Native Americans used the berries, twigs, and
bark for medicinal purposes [35].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Commercial cultivation of bog cranberry is not widespread in the United
States but is important in Russia.  Cultivation experiments have shown
that bog cranberry grows well in acid peat substrates [19].  It does not
respond well to transplanting [13].

Bog cranberries are of local commercial importance [5], and berry
picking provides recreation for many people.  However, decreased fruit
production has resulted from the draining of bogs for agricultural
purposes or to access timber [23].  As bog or fen areas are drained
and cleared, wetland species such as sphagnum mosses and bog cranberry
are replaced by vegetation that indicates drier conditions and the
cessation of peat formation [28].

Bog cranberry is susceptible to many different fungal diseases [42].
  

Related categories for Species: Vaccinium oxycoccos | Bog Cranberry