• WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE
• IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE
• PALATABILITY
• NUTRITIONAL VALUE
• COVER VALUE
• VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES
• OTHER USES AND VALUES
• MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS

WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE:

No entry

IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE:

Shrub live oak generally provides relatively little browse for most species of wildlife and livestock. In many areas it is used heavily only when other more palatable species are lacking [70]; however, shrub live oak is sometimes an important food source for deer and livestock [8]. In southern and central Arizona, it is considered to be a valuable browse plant because of its abundance and evergreen leaves [94]. Shrub live oak can be a valuable emergency winter food when snow is deep or when preferred foods are scarce [8]. Shrub live oak also provides an excellent source of emergency browse during droughts when other plants become desiccated and unpalatable [94]. Shrub live oak can survive heavy browsing and may remain as "almost the only forage" on deteriorated ranges in Arizona [35].

The foliage of shrub live oak is utilized to at least some degree by a number of big game species. New, succulent growth is the most palatable and is readily consumed [8,65]. New growth is described as "fair" forage for deer in Arizona. In some areas, deer may consume considerable amounts of foliage [65,94]. Use of shrub live oak by mule deer in the southern Rocky Mountains is described as "moderate" in winter and "light" in summer [46]. Use of shrub live oak by desert mule deer is described as "low to high" in winter, "low" in spring, "moderate to high" during summer, and "low" in the fall [44]. Desert bighorn sheep feed on shrub live oak in Arizona [82].

Cattle, domestic sheep [94], and domestic goats use shrub live oak at least moderately [7]. In some Arizona locations, shrub live oak may become too dense for livestock and big game use [70].

Acorns of shrub live oak and related species constitute an important source of mast for many small birds and mammals in the Southwest. Acorns are utilized by the collared peccary, wild turkey, numerous rodents such as Abert's squirrel, geese, grouse, quail, scrub jays, and many other birds [8,63,97]. Scrub jays and many rodents collect and cache acorns of shrub live oak, thereby aiding in seed dispersal [63]. Mule deer, white-tailed deer, and cattle also consume acorns during the fall [8,50,63,96].

In the Southwest, scrub live oak cambium is eaten by sapsuckers, porcupines eat the bark, and beavers consume the twigs [97].

PALATABILITY:

Palatability of shrub live oak to most species of wildlife and livestock is relatively low in most seasons [8,86]. It is generally used only lightly by deer in Arizona [65] and most other big game species throughout its range. New sprouts are most palatable and are browsed readily [8,65,86]. Domestic goats, however, frequently use it year-round [8,43]. In an Arizona chaparral study, shrub live oak was the most preferred species of domestic goats during the first weeks after goats were released onto the range [43]. Shrub live oak is fairly palatable to cattle and domestic sheep in some areas [94].

The palatability of shrub live oak for livestock and wildlife species for shrub live oak in Utah is as follows [20]:

Cattle               Poor
Domestic sheep       Poor
Horses               Poor   
Pronghorn            Fair   
Elk                  Poor
Mule deer            Fair   
Small mammals        Good
Small nongame birds  Poor
Upland game birds    Good
Waterfowl            Poor

NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

Shrub live oak is rated fair in energy and protein value [20]. Nutrient content (%) of shrub live oak is as follows [82]:

Date      Dry     Protein Lignin  Cellulose  Ether  Ash
	    matter  
Jan-Feb   47.35   15.45   6.38     9.00      20.16  8.22
Mar-April 45.51   13.57   6.59    10.03      15.28  6.59
May-June  58.10   12.19   8.38    13.37      15.38  7.70
July-Aug  60.04   12.16   6.90    12.07      15.33  8.12
Sept-Oct  57.99   11.08   6.10    12.02      17.78  8.06
Nov-Dec   50.76   12.62   7.31    11.51      19.46  7.38

Oven-dry weight (%)
January    7.7
February   7.3
March      7.5
April      6.9

                     Acorns    Acorn meats   Oak leaves

Dry matter           100.0     100.0         100.0
Organic matter        97.5      98.0          ----
Ash                    2.5       5.6           2.0
Crude fiber           13.9       2.0          27.4
Ether extract          5.4       8.9           2.5
N-free extract        73.5      80.7          54.3
Protein (N × 6.25)     4.8       6.4          10.2
  Cattle*              0.5       1.9           5.8
  Horses*              1.7       3.1           6.2
  Domestic goats*      1.7       3.1           6.1
  Domestic sheep*      1.7       3.1           5.7
  
*digestible protein 

COVER VALUE:

Shrub live oak provides effective cover for a wide range of birds and mammals. Chaparral dominated by shrub live oak provides habitat for the peccary, California brown bat, ringtail, whitetail deer, Cooper's hawk, screech owl, many songbirds, canyon tree frog, leopard frog, and Mexican garter snake [77]. In central Arizona, mountain lion kills are sometimes hidden in shrub live oak thickets [60]. Shrub live oak provides cover during 1 or more seasons for wildlife in Utah as follows [20]:

Pronghorn             Fair  
Elk                   Poor  
Mule deer             Good  
Small mammals         Good
Small nongame birds   Good
Upland game birds     Good
Waterfowl             Poor

VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES:

Shrub live oak is rated as having "high potential" for erosion control and for long-term revegetation projects, but it is of little value in short-term revegetation [20].

Under laboratory conditions shrub live oak can be propagated from softwood cuttings of stems with fully expanded leaves [30]. Average successful rootings of up to 75% have been attained under optimal conditions [15]. Best results were obtained when cuttings were trimmed to 2 to 3 inches (5-8 cm) and put in a rooting medium of 1:1 perlite to peat moss. Details on propagation by cuttings are available [15,30].

OTHER USES AND VALUES:

Native Americans of the Southwest used shrub live oak acorns for food [94]; for example, the Pima used them as a "snack food" [73].

MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:

Exotic grass production increases in response to removal of shrub live oak. On Arizona sites where shrub live oak was killed by herbicides and weeping lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) seeded, the basal cover of weeping lovegrass was found to be inversely proportional to oak cover. Where less than 50% of the shrub live oak cover was removed, the basal cover of weeping lovegrass remained constant for 3 years, but where more than 50% of the basal cover was removed, weeping lovegrass continued to increase during the 2nd and 3rd years [68].

Shrub live oak may be difficult to control with herbicides [69]. Repeated applications are often necessary [87]. Best results have been reported if herbicides are applied when subsoil at 24 inches (60 cm) depth is moist or wet and when leaves are not senescent or falling [37]. Specific details on the effects of herbicides on shrub live oak are available [8,11,31,36,37,87].

Related categories for SPECIES: Quercus turbinella | Shrub Live Oak