Managing forests for western huckleberry and bilberry
fruit production is nothing new - native peoples in
western North America did it very well for generations.
Unfortunately, in the early 1900s, many of those
management practices, including controlled burns, were
stopped by the federal government.
Some early non-native explorers to areas in
south-central Washington lamented in their writings that
the air was always full of smoke from fires started by
the native people and many hillsides were barren and
devoid of trees. Early 20th century U.S. Forest Service
records support the explorers' observations, noting that
a large percentage of fires in the region around 1902
through 1904 were deliberately set by the native people.
Yet in the same logbooks, the same explorers noted that
the hills were covered with an incredible array and
abundance of berries.
The important point to remember is that forests are
dynamic, living things. Like the legendary phoenix, they
are born, thrive, grow old, die, and are reborn. We call
the process succession. Huckleberries and bilberries
occur early in the succession process following a forest
disturbance in which some or all of the trees are lost.
That disturbance could be fire, logging, disease,
insects, volcanic eruption, or other causes. Once the
overstory is gone, grasses, herbaceous plants, and
shrubs dominate the landscape - for a time. Gradually,
the trees return, eventually shading out much of the
understory and the cycle begins again.
In managing for huckleberry production (also other wild
fruits, beargrass, and other native plants) we strive to
stop the succession process at one point by limiting
what plants are allowed to grow. The numbers of trees
are controlled to provide desired shade. Competing
shrubs, like alder, are removed or controlled.
The entire forest is not managed in this fashion, of
course. Management efforts are directed at locations
where huckleberries and bilberries can thrive. Other
locations may be better suited to trees or grassy
meadows. In deciding whether or how to manage a forest
stand for huckleberry and bilberry production, consider
the following factors.
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Are huckleberries already present?
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If so, what species?
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What is the elevation and climate?
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What is the aspect - a cool north-facing slope or
hot, dry, southwest exposure?
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What is the average snow cover and how reliably does
snow fall and remain?
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How much and when does the site receive
precipitation?
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Are there non-precipitation sources of soil
moisture, such as springs or creeks?
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What is the soil type, drainage, and pH?
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What is the habitat type and and what competitor and
companion plants are present?
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How much shade density is there and what are the
sunlight requirements?
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Will depredation by wildlife interfere with berry
management?
Species
Each huckleberry and bilberry species has its own
environmental requirements. That information is given in
the section
What are huckleberries and bilberries?
If huckleberries or bilberries are not already present,
they can be difficult and slow to establish in a forest
setting. Work in Europe showed mixed results in
transplanting bilberries into forests. On moist
sites, survival was sometimes quite good. On drier
sites, survival was often poor to nonexistent. If the
new plants can be irrigated and protected from competing
plants for several years while they are establishing,
forest planting might be feasible. Examine the economics
and chance of success carefully before attempting to
establish forest colonies.
Elevation, climate, and aspect
In cultivation, we have found that elevation is not a
factor in huckleberry survival and development. But
remember that we largely control the environment of
cultivated plants. In nature, elevation will have a
large influence on precipitation, temperatures, length
of growing season, and other factors. Typical elevation
ranges and climatic and aspect characteristics for
western huckleberries and bilberries are listed in the
section
What are huckleberries and bilberries?
Snow Cover
Despite being native to some bitterly cold areas, some
western huckleberries and bilberries are not
particularly cold hardy and often depend on insulating
snow for survival. During winters with little or no snow
and severely cold temperatures, large expanses of wild
berry colonies can be killed to the ground. Such an
event was well documented by huckleberry researchers,
Dr. Don Minore of the U.S. Forest Service during the
late 1970s in the Washington Cascade Mountains.
For many western huckleberries, sites with reliable snow
cover at least several feet deep from late fall through
late winter are better prospects than sites with little
or erratic snow cover.
Precipitation
In general, huckleberries and bilberries do not tolerate
drought. Although dwarf huckleberry can sometimes be
found on droughty sites, berry production under those
conditions is extremely limited. Soils that are
consistently moist but well drained provide the best
plant growth and fruit production. In areas with
relatively frequent summer rains, site selection may be
fairly easy. In areas where June through August or
September are typically very dry, cooler, north-facing
slopes are best. On more southerly sites, light to
moderate overstory is desirable.
Soils
In a survey of 60 huckleberry and bilberry sites across
five northwestern U.S. states, nearly 70% of the sites
were located on loam or sandy loam soils. About 15% were
on silt loam and 10% on loamy sand sites. In other
words, light-textured soils with good water-holding
capacity are natural huckleberry soils.
Look for soils with a bulk density of 0.8 or less and a
pH of 4.0 to 5.0. Volcanic ash layers or degraded
volcanic ash in the soil are not required. About half of
our samples were strongly influenced by volcanic ash,
but half were not. Distribution of the colonies did not
follow any apparent nutrient gradient. We found
productive colonies growing on both nutrient-rich and
nutrient-poor soils.
High concentrations of organic matter are not required,
although a well formed layer of duff and litter are
desirable. If the soil is derived from a wetland (histic
soil), Cascade huckleberry, alpine bilberry, and
possibly oval-leaved bilberry may be the best crop
choices.
Habitat Type and the Plant Community
The habitat type and typical companion plants will
depend on the location and elevation. Although
huckleberries are often associated with subalpine or
silver fir, hemlock, Engelmann spruce, and whitebark
pine, they can also be found under or around lodgepole
and ponderosa pine, eastern red cedar, and even
cottonwood and aspen trees. Companion plants will vary
according to location and elevation.
With a few exceptions, huckleberries grow quite well
with other native species in their normal habitats. One
native that will quickly crowd out a huckleberry or
bilberry colony is alder. Of more concern are introduced
weeds. Himalayan blackberry (Rubus discolor or
R. armeniacus) is a serious weed in and west of the
Cascade mountains of the Pacific Northwest. It is
particularly serious at lower elevations. Other common
Northwest weeds that quickly out-compete huckleberries
include Scotch broom, knapweeds, hawkweeds, quackgrass,
and Canada thistle. Controlling these and other highly
aggressive plants is a very important part of managing
forest huckleberry stands.
Native conifers can take over a huckleberry stand as a
normal process of succession. Tree density can be
managed by thinning out unwanted trees. Older trees may
also be killed by girdling or frilling (cutting into the
tree and treating the cut with herbicide). Leaving dead
tree snags provides filtered shade and also habitat for
animals.
When logging a huckleberry site that will be managed for
berries, avoid damaging the bushes and rhizomes as much
as possible. Chipping the slash and blowing it across
the site or simply leaving the slash lie where it falls
can be preferable to using a bulldozer to push the slash
into piles for burning. Cut-to-length loggers can be
particularly gentle on the rhizomes from which the new
bushes will arise. Avoid creating intense or widespread
fires. Colonies damaged by fire can require 10 to 15
years to recover.
Shade
Most huckleberries and bilberries survive under full sun
through moderate shade. The optimal amount of shade
depends on soil conditions and topography. On a cool,
moist, north-facing slope, full sun is often desirable.
On a warmer, drier, southerly slope, light to moderate
shade can be beneficial. Research in Idaho and Montana
suggest that 30% to 40% shade (60% to 70% full sun) is
optimal for mountain huckleberry production. Thin the
tree overstory to meet the needs of your particular
site.
Wildlife
Deer and moose will occasionally browse huckleberry and
bilberry bushes, although serious damage to the plants
appears to be rare. Protection may be desirable for
young plants that have been transplanted to a site.
Huckleberries and bilberries are prime and very
important food for bears in the Northwest. Both grizzly
and black bear rely on the berries heavily and often
suffer during years with light berry crops. When a
managed berry colony represents a preferred feeding
ground, berry losses to bear feeding could become
significant.
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