VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Alnus viridis ssp. sinuata | Sitka Alder 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
Sitka alder is occasionally used for firewood [27].  


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Sitka alder has little forage value for big game animals or livestock
[20,46].  Plants are occasionally eaten by mule deer [33].  Dense stands
impede the movements of livestock [11] but provide cover for wildlife
[36].

Sitka alder-dominated avalanche chutes are considered excellent habitat
for grizzly bears.  Grizzly bears often forage in these areas, eating
mesic herbaceous plants as they green up in the spring and berries from
shrubs in the summer and fall [51].

Muskrats, beavers, cottontails, and snowshoe hares eat alder (Alnus
spp.) twigs and leaves [24].  Beavers eat the bark of alders, and build
dams and lodges with the stems [49].  Alder seeds, buds, and catkins,
are eaten by redpolls, siskins, goldfinches, chickadees, and grouse, and
are an important winter food source [24,36].


PALATABILITY : 
The palatability of Sitka alder to big game animals and livestock is
generally poor [11,20].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
Often forming dense thickets, Sitka alder provides thermal and hiding
cover for many wildlife species, and is especially valuable as hiding
cover for big game animals [7].  Thickets also provide nesting and
foraging habitat for many bird species [24].  Thickets in Idaho often
have high population densities of pocket gophers and hares [7].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Sitka alder is valuable for slope stabilization and erosion control on
steep slopes [20].  Its seeds are adapted to invade bare mineral soil and
can be sown onti cool, moist, disturbed sites.  To obtain seed, proven
cone collection and seed extraction procedures should be followed [24].
Transplanting seedlings is most successful when 2- and 3-year-old
container-grown stock is used [24].

Red alder is suitable for revegetating sterile soils because it fixes
atmospheric nitrogen.  An Alaska study found that Sitka alder seedlings
originating from windblown seed of nearby plants quickly invaded coal
mine spoils [14], indicating its potential usefulness for revegatating
such areas.


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
The bark and foliage of alders is very astringent and was used by Native
Americans for medicinal purposes.  Preparations from alder bark were
also used by Native Americans to tan and dye leather and textiles [18].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Nurse crop:  Sitka alder improves soil fertility both by fixing nitrogen
and by producing a nitrogen-rich leaf litter [20].  It has therefore been
proposed for interplanting with Douglas-fir or other desirable conifers
on sites where additional nitrogen is desirable [22].  Based on juvenile
height-growth patterns, Douglas-fir should be planted 2 to 6 years
before Sitka alder to ensure that it is not overtopped and suppressed.

Competition:  Attempts to establish conifers on Sitka alder sites have
generally proved unsuccessful.  It can be a major competitor with
planted conifer seedlings, especially if it was established in the
understory prior to harvest [20].  On good sites, Sitka alder-dominated
brushfields may develop following wildfire or logging [40].  When
established in the understory or where "conifer islands" occurring within
Sitka alder communities have been removed, sites should receive
immediate conifer regeneration treatment [7].

Moisture relationships:  Sitka alder is indicative of high water tables.
Stands may therefore make access for timber harvest difficult [46], but
may prove useful for hikers searching for water.  Trails should cross
avalanche chutes at right angles to prevent water from being diverted
downhill [6].

Related categories for Species: Alnus viridis ssp. sinuata | Sitka Alder