Predicting Occurrence, Abundance, and Fruiting of a Cultural Keystone Species to Inform Landscape Values and Priority Sites for Habitat Enhancements

Abstract

Environmental niche modeling is an increasingly common tool in conservation and management of non-timber species. In particular, models of species’ habitats have been aided by new advances in remote sensing and it is now possible to relate forest structure variables to understory species at a relatively high resolution over large spatial scales. Here, we model landscape responses for a culturally-valued keystone shrub, velvet-leaf blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides Michaux), in northeast Alberta, Canada, to better understand the environmental factors promoting or limiting its occurrence, abundance, and fruit production, and to guide regional planning. Occurrence and abundance were measured at 845 and 335 sites, respectively, with both strongly related to land cover type and topo-edaphic factors. However, their influence varied widely, reflecting differences in the processes affecting occurrence and abundance. We then used airborne laser scanning (ALS) to characterize horizontal forest canopy cover for the study area, and related this and other geospatial variables to patterns in fruit production where we demonstrated a five-fold increase in fruit production from closed to open forest stands. We then simulated forest canopy thinning across the study area to identify places where gains in fruit production would be greatest following natural disturbance or directed management (e.g., thinning, prescribed burning). Finally, we suggest this approach could be used to identify sites for habitat enhancements to offset direct (land use change) or indirect (access) losses of resources in areas impacted with resource extraction activities, or simply to increase a culturally-valued resource through management.

Inoculation with Ericoid Mycorrhizal Associations Alleviates Drought Stress in Lowland and Upland Velvetleaf Blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides) Seedlings

“…Although velvetleaf blueberry is commonly found in relatively dry sandy soils, distinct plant populations can also be found in the moister, lowland areas [19]. In the present study, we examined the effects of ERM fungi, which we isolated from the roots of ericaceous plants, on drought resistance of velvetleaf blueberry plants that were grown from the upland and lowland seed sources.…”

“…Growth habitats of ericaceous plants range from dry to wet. Velvetleaf blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides) is usually associated with dry sandy areas of the North American boreal forest; however, distinct populations can be also found in wet hummocky areas in bogs [19]. In this study, we examined the effects of ERM fungi on the responses of upland and lowland velvetleaf blueberry to different soil moisture conditions to ascertain whether mycorrhizal associations can contribute to the successful colonization of dry sites by the upland blueberries.…”

Lessons learned from assessing the cover and yield of bilberry and lingonberry using the national forest inventories in Finland and Sweden

“…To provide spatially more accurate and timely information on seasonal berry yields for practical use in both Finland and Sweden, also combining berry inventories with wall-to-wall remote sensing data could be attempted to create spatially useful landscape and stand-level data on berry yield. Recently Bohlin et al (2021) in Sweden and Nielsen et al (2020) in Canada predicted the yield of Vaccinium species using airborne laser scanning (ALS) data. Bohlin et al (2021) created a general prediction model for bilberry and lingonberry yields based on ALS data and other auxiliary data and identified the laser-based structural features of forests that can be linked to locations of the highest berry yields.…”

Climate and land‐use change impacts on cultural use berries: Considerations for mitigative stewardship

“…Across the eastern and western regions, the most productive berry patches are often found in open and disturbed sites (Trusler & Johnson, 2008). Fire and biocultural stewardship suppression have shifted forest structure and berry habitat (Karuk Tribe – UC Berkeley Collaborative, 2023; Long et al, 2021), resulting in long‐standing implications for berry abundance, with many patches diminished or existing only in vegetative form (Aleiss, 2018; Hobby & Keefer, 2010; Nielsen et al, 2020; Skinner, 1995). The impacts of fire suppression on berries have been widely documented, including in Coastal British Columbia (Turner, 2003a); red huckleberry ( Vaccinium parvifolium ) and evergreen huckleberry patches in Washington, Oregon, and California (Mucioki et al, 2022; Wender et al, 2004); salal ( Gaultheria shallon ) patches in Western Washington (Ballard & Huntsinger, 2006); black huckleberry throughout the west (Martin, 1983; Trusler & Johnson, 2008); and blackberry ( Rubus allegheniensis and Rubus canadensis ), raspberry ( Rubus idaeus ), and strawberry ( Fragaria x ananasa ) in Maine (Daigle et al, 2019).…”