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You are here >1Up Info > Wildlife, Animals, and Plants > Plant Species > Shrub > Species: Vaccinium uliginosum | Bog Blueberry
 

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VALUE AND USE

SPECIES: Vaccinium uliginosum | Bog Blueberry
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : NO-ENTRY IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : Bog blueberry is consumed by many species of wildlife. Many songbirds and gamebirds including ptarmigan and spruce grouse eat the berries, often before they are ripe [57,80]. Bog blueberry leaves are important in the diet of spruce grouse throughout the spring, summer, and fall [20]. Many small mammals including chipmunks, squirrels, mice, and rabbits also consume bog blueberry leaves or fruits. Consumption of leaves by snowshoe hares is highest in the spring [91]. Ninety-two percent of the red-backed vole's fall diet consists of berries, many of which are bog blueberries [90]. Caribou and moose browse on bog blueberry. In northwestern Manitoba, occurrence of leaves and twigs in caribou rumen samples was 75 percent in April and 81 percent in November [61]. Bog blueberry was also detected in samples in the winter months but may have been consumed as litter as the caribou browsed on lichens [73]. Moose lightly browse bog blueberry throughout the year [52]. When available, bog blueberries are one of the most important fruits consumed by black bear in interior Alaska. The berries are utilized heavily from July to September [29]. Black bear browse on bog blueberry leaves in the spring [55]. Brown bear are also known to eat bog blueberries [60]. PALATABILITY : Palatability of Vaccinium species as browse is rated as fair to moderate [14]. NUTRITIONAL VALUE : The nutritional value of bog blueberry is not well documented. However, Vaccinium species in general have sweet berries that contain high concentrations of mono- and di-saccharides [77]. They are rich in vitamin C, high in energy content, and low in fat [68]. COVER VALUE : Bog blueberry presumably provides cover for a variety of small wildlife species. It often forms a dense understory layer that may serve as hiding or resting sites for birds or small mammals. VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : Bog blueberry has been successful at naturally colonizing local seismic lines in the subarctic [44]. It has also naturally colonized borrow pits in tundra regions of northwestern Canada and may be of use in managed reclamation projects [45]. Bog blueberry is tolerant of high concentrations of heavy metals in the soil. Leaf tissues can accumulate uranium, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, and iron in large quantities with no apparent detrimental effects to the plant [15]. The ability to inhabit soils with high concentrations of these metals may favor the use of bog blueberry in certain revegetation programs. Bog blueberry could not be established from seed during the first growing season in simulated pipeline trenches near Fort Norman, Northwest Territories. Bog blueberry has, however, successfully germinated after one or two growing seasons when planted in other areas [59]. OTHER USES AND VALUES : Bog blueberries are edible and have good flavor [37]. The berries are often picked in large quantities [1,87] and used in jams, jellies, and pies [37,38]. They are the most popular fruit of Native Americans in the Fort Yukon region [35]. Fresh or dried leaves can be used for tea [71]. Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) leaves, flowers, and rhizomes have been used for medicinal purposes [81]. Bog blueberry has no economic importance [8], but its cold hardiness (including late flowering) and resistance to the blueberry fungus Fusicoccum putrefaciens make it useful for hybridizing with more economically important species [33,81]. A high correlation exists between concentrations of uranium, copper, and lead in bog blueberry leaf tissues and levels of these metals in the surrounding soil. The ability of bog blueberry to reflect heavy metal concentrations in till favors its use as a tool in mineral exploration. The advantages and disadvantages of using bog blueberry for biogeochemical prospecting have been considered [15]. MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Leaf production of bog blueberry increased in response to overgrazing by caribou in arctic Canada. Average cover was 9 percent in overgrazed areas but only 2 percent in areas that were not overgrazed [31]. In one study, bog blueberry showed no significant response to fertilization or irrigation [40]. White spruce stands on Willow Island, Alaska were subjected to clearcut and shelterwood treatments. Second year average percent cover and average percent frequency of bog blueberry in the stands were as follows [18]: Control Clearcut Shelterwood, 46 ft. Shelterwood, 30 ft. (14 m) spacing (9 m) spacing _____________________________________________________________ Cover 0.3 0.1 + 0.5 Frequency 6.0 7.0 3.0 13.0 Vegetative propagation of bog blueberry has been more successful with root or rhizome cuttings than with stem cuttings. Rooting percentages from both hardwood and softwood stem cuttings were poor, whereas 52 percent of rhizome cuttings produced shoots when planted immediately after collection [36]. Blueberries can also 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. Blueberries are exacting in their site requirements and are difficult to establish on sites that do not meet their specific needs. Naturally occurring stands can usually be managed successfully [13].

Related categories for Species: Vaccinium uliginosum | Bog Blueberry

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Information Courtesy: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Fire Effects Information System

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