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