VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Arbutus menziesii | Pacific Madrone 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
The wood of Pacific madrone is heavy and dense, but it checks badly
under normal drying procedures and has not been widely used in wood
products manufacturing [2,61].  It has been utilized occasionally for
flooring and cabinet making; the fine-textured, twisted grain produces a
handsome veneer [2].  Pacific madrone is considered a potentially
valuable source of both pulpwood and fuelwood on many sites [49].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Although widespread throughout much of its range, Pacific madrone is
rarely browsed by livestock or big game [52,53].  Browse is generally
utilized only when more preferred species are unavailable [11,53].  The
fruits, however, are extensively utilized by a variety of both wild and
domestic species, including the mule deer, raccoon, ringtail,
band-tailed pigeon, American robin, varied thrush, Montezuma quail
[49,61], and poultry [11].

Pacific madrone typically grows with mixtures of evergreen and hardwood
species.  Mixed stands are highly diverse in both structure and
composition and provide habitat for numerous wildlife species [40,49].


PALATABILITY : 
Palatability of Pacific madrone foliage ranges from low to moderately
high, depending on plant condition and community associates [52,61].
Mature leaves are rarely utilized by grazing animals [11].  Following
fire, however, leafy sprouts are preferred by mule deer, domestic sheep
and goats, and to a lesser degree, cattle [11,53].  Increased postburn
use generally continues for up to two growing seasons.  Pacific madrone
is of moderate browse value to mule deer in portions of California [61].

Browse ratings for madrone in California are as follows [61]:

        Deer        fair - useless
        Cattle      poor - useless
        Sheep       poor - useless
        Goats       poor - useless
        Horses      useless


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
Mixed stands of hardwoods and conifers provide thermal, hiding, and
escape cover for big game and small mammals, as well as perching sites
for a variety of bird species [40].  Both open-nesting and
cavity-nesting birds utilize Pacific madrone.  Preliminary research on
cavity-nesting species within mixed-evergreen forests in northwestern
California indicates that Pacific madrone is selected as a nest tree at
a higher rate than its availability would suggest.  Trees greater than
12 inches (30 cm) d.b.h. are an important habitat component for a number
of primary cavity-nesting species, such as the red-breasted sapsucker
and hairy woodpecker [49].  Secondary cavity nesters, such as the acorn
woodpecker, downy woodpecker, mountain chickadee, house wren, and
western bluebird, also use Pacific madrone.


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Pacific madrone may be useful for erosion control, since it sprouts
vigorously following disturbance.  Pacific madrone is usually propagated
via seedling transplants derived from either spring- or fall-sown seed
[52,61].  Approximately 1,000 useable plants result from 1 pound (0.45
kg) of Pacific madrone seed [61].  Plants may also be propagated from
cuttings, grafting, and layering [2,52].  Due to burl formation and the
development of a wide, spreading root system, established plants are
extremely difficult to transplant [61].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Despite its regular shedding of both bark and leaves, Pacific madrone is
a highly ornamental species, prized for its crooked beauty, colorful
bark, showy flowers, and brightly colored fruits [11,16].  Trees are
cultivated for landscaping in both the United States and Europe [52,61].
Other commercial uses of Pacific madrone include utilization of the bark
for tanning leathers and the wood for charcoal production [52,61].
Pacific madrone is also a well-known bee plant [2,11].

Historically, West Coast Indian tribes ate Pacific madrone berries and
fashioned eating utensils from the bulbous roots [2,24].  The astringent
leaves have been used medicinally; the berries apparently possess some
narcotic properties [11,52]. 


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Competition with conifers:  Pacific madrone competes with conifers
following logging or burning [20,55,57,58].  Once released, Pacific
madrone develops with remarkable speed and often forms a dense cover
which interferes with conifer establishment and growth [58].  Numerous
laboratory studies suggest that Pacific madrone produces allelopathic
chemicals which slow the natural regeneration of Douglas-fir [12,15,51].
Under field conditions, however, the allelopathic effect of Pacific
madrone is generally considered rather subtle and part of a "complex" of
influences through which madrone contributes to poor conifer
regeneration [43].  Although Pacific madrone often competes for light,
nutrients, and moisture, on some sites it actually serves as a nurse
crop for Douglas-fir [20,27,42]; however, beneficial effects probably do
not last much beyond the conifer establishment period.  Pacific madrone
soil apparantly contains Rhizopogon mycorrhizae [1].  Addition of
madrone soil to sites previously occupied by whiteleaf manzanita
(Arctostaphylos viscida) stimulated growth and survival of planted
Douglas-fir on sites in southwestern Oregon.

Herbicides can be effective in temporarily reducing Pacific madrone
cover [7,8,33,48].  In plantations, aerial applications of low volatile
esters of 2,4-D have been used for both ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir
release [21,25].  As with other sclerophyllous understories, preharvest
burning alone or slash burning used in conjunction with either
preharvest or postharvest burning are also potential methods of control
[29].  Other nonchemical control methods include mechanical means of
site preparation, such as uprooting stumps or stump grinding [14].
Nonchemical treatments are most successful when applied within a few
years of conifer planting programs; postplanting follow-up treatments
may be necessary on many sites.

Prediction equations have been developed to estimate reliably the
postdisturbance sprouting potential of Pacific madrone from preharvest
inventory data [58].  Since these equations predict cover by diameter
class, it may be possible to identify that segment of the madrone
understory contributing most to postdisturbance coverages, thereby
aiding the selection of an appropriate control method on a site.

On intensively managed sites, minimizing seedling establishment on
recently logged or burned areas can reduce future populations of
vigorously sprouting Pacific madrones [59].  Coincidence of madrone seed
production with forest floor disturbance should be avoided.  In stands
where shelterwood or clearcut logging is planned, madrone seed trees can
be removed prior to harvest by using a single stem-injection of
herbicide.  At least 90 percent of madrones are killed or severely
damaged by this type of treatment.  Since trees which survive herbicide
treatment recover slowly, seed production can be substantially reduced
for up to 15 years.  Limited observations also indicate that if madrone
trees are felled when they occur in well-stocked, conifer-hardwood
stands over 30 years of age, sprouts usually do not produce seed [59].

Pacific madrone management:  Pacific madrone has been considered a "weed
tree" with respect to conifer management [6].  Since it is a relatively
persistant, seral species on many sites, intensive management of madrone
for hardwood timber production may be a logical management option in
some instances [40,47].  Management potential is highest on sites where
extensive, even-aged stands have developed after clearcutting or fire.
Clearcut harvesting and manipulating subsequent sprout stands is the
recommended silvicultural treatment [40].  Sprouting from burls may be
encouraged by cutting stumps to less than 8 inches (20 cm); basal
sprouts have a low incidence of rot bridging from stump to sprout pith.
Leaving higher stumps encourages stool sprouts and increases the
likelihood of heartrot in young stands.  Better form is achieved with
relatively dense stocking, usually above 102 square feet/acre (23.4
square m/ha) [40].

Related categories for Species: Arbutus menziesii | Pacific Madrone