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