VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Rhododendron maximum | Rosebay 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
Rosebay wood is occasionally used to make small craft items and as fuel
for wood stoves [19].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Deer occasionally browse rosebay leaves and twigs, but it is not a major
part of their diet [28].  In a Greenwhich, Connecticut study, only 17
seventeen percent of rosebay shoots examined showed moderate leaf or
twig damage from browsing [3].


PALATABILITY : 
NO-ENTRY


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Although nutrient concentrations of rosebay leaves are generally lower
than those of deciduous trees, leaf longevity allows significant storage
of nutrients.  Fresh leaf litter has lower concentrations of nitrogen,
potassium, and phosphorus than do harvested leaves, indicating a
resorption of these nutrients before leaf fall.  The nutrient
concentration (% dry weight) of leaves changes with age [17]:

Leaf Age    Nitrogen    Phosphorus    Potassium    Calcium    Magnesium
1 mo         1.60        0.17          1.34         0.36       0.17
6 mo         1.05        0.16          0.87         1.00       0.29 
2 yr         0.93        0.13          0.41         1.20       0.20
3 yr         0.86        0.12          0.35         1.30       0.21
4 yr         0.88        0.12          0.34         1.40       0.16



COVER VALUE : 
Rosebay provides cover for the sharp-tailed grouse, white-tailed deer,
and a variety of other birds and mammals [20,28].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Rosebay is useful in providing watershed protection and erosion control
on steep slopes.


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Rosebay is cultivated for its beautiful flowers [20].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Rosebay presents timber management problems throughout the Appalachian
Mountains [30].  Rosebay regenerates vigorously through stump sprouting,
root suckers, or from layered stems after it is cut, burned, or
otherwise disturbed [30].  As it grows, it forms dense thickets that
cast so much shade over the forest floor that tree species cannot
reproduce, and eventually the site becomes unable to support commercial
timber production [24].  Rosebay is best controlled through chemical
treatment.  Basal spraying and mist blower applications of 2,4,5-T have
been reported to kill 100 percent of new sprouts [18,24].

Related categories for Species: Rhododendron maximum | Rosebay