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You are here >1Up Info > Wildlife, Animals, and Plants > Plant Species > Shrub > Species: Vaccinium parvifolium | Red Huckleberry
 

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VALUE AND USE

SPECIES: Vaccinium parvifolium | Red Huckleberry
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : NO-ENTRY IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : Browse: Red huckleberry is an important big game browse in some parts of the Northwest, particularly during the fall and winter months [97,101]. It provides valuable forage for deer, mountain goats, and elk [101]. In western Washington, red huckleberry is an important elk browse [90,98]. Large amounts of new leaves are eaten in the spring but this shrub is of primary importance during the fall [90]. Elk use may be heavy in some areas [42]. Elk utilization of 60 to 90 percent has been reported on the Olympic Peninsula [90]. In many areas, red huckleberry is one of the most important winter foods of the black-tailed deer and is used heavily until covered by snow [78,106]. Deer consume the fruit, leaves, twigs, leafy shoots, and newly-developing sprouts [14,54]. Brown [14] observed heaviest use during April, May, and October, but others have reported peak use during early winter when lower-growing vegetation is covered with snow [46]. Red huckleberry can grow beyond the reach of deer on some sites [14]. Small mammals also browse red huckleberry. In the Coast Range of Oregon, it is a preferred food of the mountain beaver [49]. Red huckleberry is used locally by domestic sheep and to a lesser degree, by cattle [21]. On Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) plantations in parts of Oregon, it may be preferred by domestic sheep in all seasons [63]. Fruit: Berries of red huckleberry are eaten by a wide variety of birds and mammals. Thrushes, catbird, band-tailed pigeon, bluebirds, ptarmigans, towhees, ring-necked pheasant, and spruce, ruffed, blue, and sharp-tailed grouse readily consume the fruit of many huckleberries (Vaccinium spp.) [69,98]. Fruit of the red huckleberry is a preferred food of chicks and adult blue grouse on Vancouver Island [56] and elsewhere [98]. Many mammals including black bear, deer mice, white-footed mouse, raccoon, pika, ground squirrels, chipmunks, red fox, squirrels, gray fox, and skunks, also eat the berries of Vacciniums [69,98]. Along the coast of British Columbia, grizzly bears seek out the fruit of huckleberries [8,37]. PALATABILITY : Overall palatability of red huckleberry browse is described as moderate [21]. Leafless shoots are preferred during winter by black-tailed deer in western Washington and in the Coast Ranges of Oregon [14,46]. Palatability of red huckleberry browse to Roosevelt elk on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington is reported to be "good" [90]. Berries are highly palatable to a wide variety of birds and mammals. NUTRITIONAL VALUE : Browse: Huckleberry (Vaccinium spp.) foliage is relatively high in carotene, manganese, and energy content [20,38]. Red huckleberry browse provides nutritious forage for deer in coastal British Columbia and Alaska [78]. However, food value apparently varies seasonally [14,78] and with site conditions [41]. Nutrient content peaks at the beginning of the growing season, and during this time, browse exceeds deer requirements for digestible energy [78]. A composite analysis of red and blue huckleberry (V. membranaceum) browse in western Washington revealed the following values [14]: crude ether crude N-free total Ca Mg K PO4 protein extract fiber extract ash (percent) 7.57 3.56 35.71 46.90 1.38 1.032 0.201 0.535 0.434 Fruit: Vaccinium berries are sweet and contain high concentrations of both mono- and di-saccharides [107]. Berries are rich in vitamin C and energy content but low in fats [51,84]. Specific nutrient content of red huckleberry fruit has been documented as follows [77]: kjoules calories protein carbo. ash Fe Mg Zn ascorbic Ca lipid x 10 3 (g) (g) (g) (g) (g) (g) acid(mg) (g) (g) (per gram of dry weight) 16.48 3.94 0.16 0.72 0.02 0.04 0.55 0.01 3.54 2.16 0.09 COVER VALUE : Red huckleberry presumably provides cover for a variety of wildlife species. It often forms dense thickets which may serve as hiding, resting, or nesting sites for many smaller birds and mammals. VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : Huckleberry (Vaccinium spp.) seedlings grown in the greenhouse can be transplanted onto favorable sites 6 to 7 weeks after emergence [19]. Seed collection and storage techniques have been considered in detail [19]. OTHER USES AND VALUES : Red huckleberry fruit has been variously described as "palatable but ..sour," "tart and not well-flavored," "sour but good," and of a "pleasant flavor although somewhat dry" [71,97,89,101]. Menzies, an early traveler to the Northwest, described red huckleberry fruit as "preferable... to the well-known cranberries" [100]. Fruit is gathered locally for pies, jelly, jam, and preserves [89,101], but this shrub is generally not considered an important fruit producer [71]. Berries are readily available and easily harvested [64]. Approximately 8.5 ounces (250 ml) can be harvested within an 8-minute period [64]. Red huckleberry fruit was an important traditional food source for many native peoples of the Northwest including the Nuxalk of the Bella Coola region of British Columbia [64,77,109]. Berries were eaten fresh or preserved [64]. Dried fruit provided an important source of vitamin C during the winter months. Red huckleberry, an attractive and valuable ornamental, is well suited for a variety of garden uses [47,60]. In the fall, reddish leaves present a striking contrast to the bright green branches [48]. Red huckleberry has no known value for breeding commercial fruit-producing strains [89]. MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Competition: Red huckleberry commonly persists after logging in conifer and mixed conifer-hardwood stands [94]. It forms an important component of many long-lived seral brushfields [32,40,53] and sometimes competes with conifer regeneration [80]. On tree plantations in the coastal Sitka spruce-western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) zone, it competes effectively with conifer seedlings by the fifth growing season [87]. However, Hays [41] notes that this shrub is rarely a major competitor on coastal sites in British Columbia. Mechanical removal: Most western huckleberries are damaged by postlogging treatments which include harsh scarification [68]. This appears to be true of red huckleberry as well [41]. Plants are often restricted to areas of relatively undisturbed soil [24]. Results of several types of mechanical treatments as applied to coastal brushfields of Oregon are as follows [54]: spray and crush scarification (frequency - percent) before disturbance 72 44 after disturbance 6 -- Plants occasionally sprout within the first year after timber harvest [87]. Response of red huckleberry after timber harvest was documented as follows in coastal British Columbia [53]: prelogging 3-4 years 13 years 42 years control (quadrat frequencies - percent) 18 9 24 7 Silviculture: Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) can generally be successfully planted in the white fir (Abies concolor) zone wherever red huckleberry occurs on wetter sites [5]. Chemical control: Huckleberries (Vaccinium spp.) exhibit variable susceptibility to herbicides such as 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T, glyphosate, karbutilate, and picloram [13]. Response of red huckleberry to applications of glyphosate in coastal brushfields of Oregon was documented as follows [54]: glyphosate spray and brush (percent frequency) before disturbance 53 63 after disturbance 3 -- Wildlife considerations: Huckleberries are an extremely important food source for grizzly bears [68]. Both black and grizzly bears typically exploit areas with dense concentrations of berries. The habitat value of huckleberry shrubfields to grizzly bears can be increased by permanent, or at least seasonal, road closures, by coordinating timber harvest dates to have minimal impact on habitat use patterns, and by considering the cumulative effects of habitat modification across a broad area. In general, site preparation should include minimizing soil compaction, using cool rather than hot slash burns, or by eliminating site preparation entirely wherever possible [68]. Grizzly use is favored where hiding cover is retained by treating small, irregular patches instead of large contiguous areas, and by leaving stringers of timber within larger cuts [105]. In many areas, bear-human conflicts are most likely to occur during years of huckleberry crop failure [68,86]. Heavy ungulate browsing of red huckleberry has been observed on winter ranges in some parts of Washington [90]. In some areas, it is considered a good indicator of "present conditions and trends" [90]. Maximum utilization of 50 to 70 percent has been proposed [90]. Biomass: Red huckleberry biomass in coastal Douglas-fir forests was documented as follows [66]: stand age (years) 22 30 42 73 biomass (kg/hectare) -- -- -- 4.6

Related categories for Species: Vaccinium parvifolium | Red Huckleberry

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