More info on this topic. More info for the terms:
climax,
cover,
herbaceous,
seed,
shrub,
shrubs,
succession,
treeRed huckleberry occurs as a climax shrub in western hemlock, western
hemlock-Sitka spruce, Douglas-fir, and redwood forests of the Northwest
[
2,
10,
11,
18,
29,
33,
64,
95]. It is also capable of surviving many types of
disturbances and can be important in certain seral communities.
Western hemlock: Red huckleberry dominates many seral communities in
western hemlock forests of the Northwest and is particularly common on
unburned clearcuts [
41]. In the Cascade Range, red huckleberry assumes
prominence during the initial herbaceous stage of succession which
occurs 0 to 5 years after disturbance [
26]. Certain seral red
huckleberry/salal communities ultimately develop into western
hemlock/vine maple (Acer circinatum)/salal or western
hemlock/salal-western swordfern (Polystichum munitum) types [
29]. In
parts of coastal British Columbia, red huckleberry grows in initially
disturbed, second growth, and old growth stands in western hemlock
forests [
64]. However, in drier maritime forests, it may be present in
early mature to mature old-growth stands [
57].
Sitka spruce-western hemlock: Red huckleberry, along with salal, is an
important early seral species in many spruce-hemlock forests of the
Northwest [
45]. In parts of southeastern Alaska, it commonly sprouts or
develops from seed during the first 3 years after logging [
2]. Sprouts
are often common in relatively protected areas such near root mounds,
logs, and stumps [
1]. Dense shrub stands develop within 20 to 30 years
after timber harvest, and by 50 to 60 years after disturbance, a nearly
continuous layer of huckleberry often develops [
1]. During postlogging
succession, many shrubs, including red huckleberry, are eliminated or
reduced after tree canopies close and before they begin to open again at
stand ages of 150 to 200 years [
2]. Red huckleberry is common in
old-growth Sitka-spruce-western hemlock forests (250+ years),
particularly in more open areas [
2]. It occurs in mature climax stands
on floodplain gravel bar communities of Vancouver Island but is absent
on newly exposed floodplain sites where parent plants are lacking [
18].
Red huckleberry is a prominent component of mature Sitka spruce-western
hemlock-western redcedar forests of British Columbia [
81].
Western hemlock-Douglas-fir: Red huckleberry occurs in climax [
93] and
seral western hemlock-western redcedar-Douglas-fir communities [
6]. In
western hemlock-Douglas-fir forests of western Washington, this shrub
may be absent initially after timber harvest, but plants "soon" sprout
[
14]. Cover typically peaks during "stage 2" of succession which is
characterized by dense shrub growth [
14]. Red huckleberry abundance
declined as conifers and deciduous trees develop into a closed canopy
[
14]. In northwestern Oregon, it may be replace by devil's club
(Oplopanax horridum) where extremely dense shade develops [
93]. Cover
of red huckleberry has been documented as follows after sites in the
western hemlock-Douglas-fir zone in the western Cascades of Oregon were
clearcut, broadcast burned, and planted with Douglas-fir [
88]:
years
2 5 10 15 20 30 40 undist. old growth
0.65 0.61 0.79 3.72 1.15 2.92 1.34 1.31
Douglas-fir: Red huckleberry occurs in both newly disturbed and
old-growth stands in Douglas-fir forests of the Northwest. It was
present in recent clearcuts on the Olympic Peninsula but was not
observed in 300-year-old stands [
28]. It was, however, observed in
old-growth stands in parts of western Oregon [
33]. Cover by stand age
was documented as follows in Washington [
65]:
stand age (years) 5 22 30 42 73
cover (percent) 0.01 0.80 3.76 1.80 1.32