VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Persea borbonia | Redbay 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
Redbay wood is heavy, hard, strong, and bright red with thin,
light-colored sapwood.  It is used locally for cabinetwork, interior
finishing, and boat building [5].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Wild turkeys and many songbirds eat redbay fruit [5].  The northern
bobwhite eats red bay seeds, especially during the winter [5,27].
White-tailed deer and black bears eat the foliage and fruit of redbay.
Redbay can sustain browsing of up to 40 percent of its current annual
growth [5].  In otherwise pure stands of even-age pine in southern
Alabama, redbay-dominated "stringers" provide essential habitat for
gray squirrels [18].


PALATABILITY : 
NO-ENTRY


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Lay [28] listed nutrient percentage values of redbay browse collected
in winter as follows:

Protein   Fat    Fiber   N-free    Ash    Phosphoric   Calcium 
                         extract          acid
6.98      3.25   29.5    43.1      2.17   0.14         0.31

These levels are low for protein, deficient for phosphoric acid, but
high for calcium [28].


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Redbay seedlings can be used in wetlands and phosphate mine reclamation
[32].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Redbay leaves are a good substitute for those of tropical bay (Persea
spp.), which are used as a food seasoning [5].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
The wildlife habitat value of southern pine plantations can be increased
by allowing redbay to grow along intermittent streams [18].  

Redbay is very resistant to insects and fungal disease [30].

Related categories for Species: Persea borbonia | Redbay