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You are here >1Up Info > Wildlife, Animals, and Plants > Plant Species > Shrub > Species: Vaccinium uliginosum ssp. occidentale | Western Huckleberry
 

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VALUE AND USE

SPECIES: Vaccinium uliginosum ssp. occidentale | Western Huckleberry
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : NO-ENTRY IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : Browse: The young twigs and leaves of western huckleberry provide high quality browse for deer in some locations [30]. Certain lodgepole pine/western huckleberry-forb wetlands of central Oregon are critical habitat for mule deer during spring, summer, and fall [48]. Green foliage of western huckleberry often appears prior to snowmelt [21], and browse may be particularly valuable to deer and elk during the early spring when food is scarce. In other areas it is rarely used by deer or elk in any season [22,28]. The value of western huckleberry browse to domestic sheep and goats ranges between good and poor [30]. In some areas, it is considered fair to good sheep and goat browse, particularly during the fall. Western huckleberry receives some local use by cattle [8,47]. Use of western huckleberry by wildlife and livestock may be limited by its restricted and often rather localized distribution [8]. On particularly wet microsites, it can be used only after the ground dries sufficiently for animals to access the area [8]. Fruit: Berries of western huckleberry are readily eaten by many birds including blue and spruce grouse. Thrushes, towhees, ruffed grouse, and sharp-tailed grouse consume the fruit of many huckleberries (Vaccinium spp.). Mammals such as chipmunks, red fox, gray fox, skunks, and squirrels also feed on huckleberry fruit [27,47]. Berries of western huckleberry are readily eaten by both black and grizzly bears [14] and by many small mammals. PALATABILITY : Palatability of western huckleberry browse is described as low to moderate for deer, elk, and domestic livestock [22]. Mattson [28] reports that it is relatively unpalatable to wild ungulates in the vicinity of Yellowstone National Park. However, Dayton [8] observed that western huckleberry is "one of the more palatable browse species of the genus." Fruit is highly palatable to many birds and mammals. NUTRITIONAL VALUE : Huckleberry (Vaccinium spp.) foliage is relatively high in carotene, manganese, and energy value [7,14]. Huckleberry fruits are sweet and contain high concentrations of both mono- and di-saccharides [42]. Berries are rich in vitamin C and energy content but low in fats [18,36]. COVER VALUE : Western huckleberry provides good cover for a variety of wildlife species. It commonly forms dense thickets beneath lodgepole pine [28], which can serve as favorable nesting, resting, or hiding cover for many smaller birds and mammals. Engelmann spruce/western huckleberry habitat types of western Oregon provide good cover for deer and elk. These sites, which commonly border bogs or marshes, are preferred locations for calving and rearing young [21]. VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : Most huckleberries (Vaccinium spp.) can be propagated from hardwood cuttings or from seed. Seedlings grown in the greenhouse can be transplanted onto favorable sites 6 to 7 weeks after emergence. Seed collection and storage techniques have been examined in detail [6]. OTHER USES AND VALUES : Fruits of western huckleberry were traditionally used by many native peoples. Berries of the western huckleberry are eaten fresh, cooked, or made into jams and wine [22]. Berries are sweet and pulpy but rather dry and "of poor quality" compared with the fruit of many other species of Vaccinium [29,41]. Consequently, western huckleberry is not considered to be one of the most important berry producers [29]. Many huckleberries (Vaccinium spp.) have value as ornamentals. Schultz [41] reports western huckleberry-evergreen huckleberry (V. ovatum) hybrids may have horticultural value. MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Chemical control: Huckleberries (Vaccinium spp.) exhibit variable susceptibility to herbicides such as 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T, glyphosate, karbutilate, and picloram [2]. Wildlife considerations: Huckleberries are an extremely important food source for grizzly bears [26] and 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 broadcast burns rather than hot slash burns, or by eliminating site preparation entirely wherever possible. 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 [50]. In many areas, bear-human conflicts are most likely to occur during years of huckleberry crop failure [26,38], as hungry bears come into contact with recreationists or wildland residents. Damage to crops and beehives, and livestock losses also typically increase during poor huckleberry years [38].

Related categories for Species: Vaccinium uliginosum ssp. occidentale | Western Huckleberry

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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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