Booth's Willow

Booth's willow

More info for the term: cover

Booth's willow provides cover and protection for many birds and mammals. It also provides shade for fish in streams and ponds [1,11,13,24]. The degree to which Booth's willow provides environmental protection for wildlife species during one or more seasons has been rated as follows [1,13,34]: MT WY ID Elk Good Good Good Mule deer Good Good Good White-tailed deer Good Good Good Small mammals Good Good Good Small nongame birds Good ---- ---- Upland game birds Good ---- ---- Waterfowl Fair ---- ----

More info for the term: shrub

Booth's willow is a native, multibranched, rounded shrub typically between 9 and 18 feet (3 and 6 m) tall [1,34]. On well-drained soils in Oregon, Booth's willow is broadly rounded and has many stems, but in bogs it is dwarfed and has few stems [20]. At 10 years of age, Booth's willow reaches a height of approximately 8 feet (2.5 m). Stems reach senescence between the ages of 15 and 20 years [20]. Male and female flowers occur on separate plants in 0.5- to 1.5-inch-long (1-1.5 cm), erect catkins [12].

In Canada, Booth's willow occurs in southern British Columbia and southern Alberta. It extends south to the mountains of Montana, Wyoming Colorado, Idaho, and Utah and westward through northern Nevada to northeastern California and eastern Oregon [4,5].

More info for the terms: fire regime, root crown, shrub, top-kill

Booth's willow is a fire-tolerant shrub. It sprouts readily from the root and root crown following top-kill by fire, especially in wetter stands [13,22]. It produces numerous, minute seeds that are dispersed by wind, and are important in colonizing recently burned areas [14]. Slow-moving fires are more damaging to the roots and root crown of Booth's willow than are quick, hot fires; therefore the latter result in more sprouts [13]. FIRE REGIMES : Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under "Find FIRE REGIMES".

More info for the term: succession

Prescribed burning of Booth's willow stands is an effective method of rejuvenating decadent clumps and stimulating sprouting [25]. Fires increase the amount of browse available for herbivores because browse species such as willow proliferate in early postfire succession [14].

More info on this topic.

More info for the term: phanerophyte

Phanerophyte

More info for the term: root crown

High moisture requirements limit Booth's willow to riparian and lacustrine areas, and in bottomlands with a high water table, such as wet meadows, fens, bogs, and swamps [1]. Booth's willow is best represented in riparian communities within the Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) zone and sagebrush/grass valley habitats. It is also found in Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) dominated streambottoms in the upper Douglas-fir zone [1,34]. Booth's willow is a transitional species between low-middle and middle elevations and between middle and middle-high elevations [1]. It can be found intermittently in the lower subalpine zone [24,33]. Booth's willow is shade intolerant and grows best in full sunlight [1,14]. Elevational range: The elevational range for Booth's willow in several states is as follows [1,24,34]: Utah: 5,300 to 10,300 feet (1,615-3,140 m) Idaho: 7,400 to 8,800 feet (2,255-2,685 m) Wyoming: 5,900 to 7,800 feet (1,800-2,380 m) Nevada: 5,800 to 8,300 feet (1,770-2,532 m) Soils: Booth's willow is usually found on moist sandy or gravelly soils but is adapted to a wide variety of soil textures [12,24]. The general soil pH range for willows is 5.5 to 7.5. Booth's willow will tolerate moderately alkaline soils but does poorly in strongly acidic or alkaline conditions [14]. Growth of Booth's willow is severely reduced when water levels are maintained at or above the root crown for extended periods. Plant associates: Booth's willow is commonly associated with the following species: Geyer willow, Drummond willow (Salix drummondiana), thinleaf alder (Alnus tenuifolia), redosier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera), water birch (Betula occidentalis), beaked sedge (Carex rostrata), water sedge (C. aquatilis), bluejoint reedgrass (Calamagrostis canadensis), mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana), bearberry honeysuckle (Lonicera involucrata), wood's rose (Rosa woodsii), false-Solomon's-seal (Smilacina stellata), field horsetail (Equisetum arvense), bluegrass (Poa spp.), and sweet scented bedstraw (Gallium triflorum) [1,2,12,24,34].

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

206 Engelmann spruce - subalpine fir
210 Interior Douglas-fir
217 Aspen
218 Lodgepole pine
220 Rocky Mountain juniper
222 Black cottonwood - willow
235 Cottonwood - willow
238 Western juniper

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES23 Fir - spruce
FRES26 Lodgepole pine
FRES28 Western hardwoods
FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES37 Mountain meadows
FRES44 Alpine

More info on this topic.

This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the term: forest

K008 Lodgepole pine - subalpine forest
K012 Douglas-fir forest
K015 Western spruce - fir forest
K038 Great Basin sagebrush
K052 Alpine meadows and barren
K055 Sagebrush steppe

More info for the term: top-kill

Light to moderate fires top-kill Booth's willow. Severe fires can kill willows completely by removing soil organic layers and charring the roots [14].

Livestock: Dense stands of Booth's willow can be inaccessible to livestock. Cattle will utilize Booth's willow if accessible [24,34]. Wildlife: Booth's willow is an important source of browse for deer, elk, moose, and small mammals [1,2,33]. Moose utilize Booth's willow stands extensively in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho [2,33,34]. Many avian species nest and feed in Booth's willow stands [9,33,34].

More info for the terms: codominant, shrub

Booth's willow dominates or codominates early seral willow communities
along riverbanks, streambanks, overflow channels, and seeps
[1,12,20,34]. Published classifications describing Booth's willow as a
dominant or codominant in community types are listed below:

Summary flora of riparian shrub communities of the Intermountain region
with emphasis on willows [11].
Riparian community type classification of eastern Idaho-western Wyoming [34].
Preliminary riparian community type classification for Nevada [24].
Riparian dominance types of Montana [12].
A Riparian community classification study [33].
Riparian community type classification of Utah and southeastern Idaho [28].

More info for the term: shrub

Shrub

More info for the term: seed

Winter willow (Salix spp.) browsing by ungulates limits seed production
by (1) removing flower buds developed the previous fall; (2) stimulating
the plants to increase production of vegetative growth, thereby
allocating resources needed for reproductive growth to vegetative
growth; and (3) limiting the size of plants, which limits the number of
seeds produced. In Yellowstone National Park, ungulate browsing has
almost eliminated willow seed production and, therefore, almost
eliminated willow populations. Protection from browsing for at least 3
years is essential for the establishment of Booth's willow [18].

Overgrazing by livestock can threaten riparian ecosystems unless
management practices favor their protection [24]. Soil surfaces may be
churned by livestock when moist, resulting in soil compaction,
streambank sloughing, and damage to vegetation [13].

Booth's willow has been rated as fair in energy value and poor in protein
value [13].

CA CO ID MT NV OR UT WY AB BC

All willows produce salacin, which is closely related chemically to salicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin. Native Americans used the leaves of willows to treat mosquito bites, bee stings, and stomach aches and used the stems for implements such as baskets, arrow shafts, scoops, and fish traps. [1,15].

More info for the term: codominant

Booth's willow is highly palatable to deer, elk, beaver, and moose in
eastern Oregon [19]. Booth's willow is less palatable to livestock and
ungulates than Geyer willow (Salix geyeriana), a frequent codominant.
Palatability of willows (Salix spp.) increases as the season progresses
[35]. Palatability of Booth's willow to livestock and wildlife in several
western states has been rated as follows [2,13,24,34]:

MT NV UT WY
Cattle Fair ---- ---- Fair
Sheep Fair ---- ---- ----
Horses Fair ---- ---- ----
Pronghorn Fair ---- ---- ----
Elk Good Good ---- Good
Moose Good ---- ---- ----
Mule deer Fair ---- ---- Fair
White-tailed deer Fair ---- ---- Fair
Small mammals Good ---- ---- ----
Small nongame birds Good Good Good Good
Upland game birds Good ---- ---- ----
Waterfowl Fair ---- ---- ----

More info on this topic.

More info for the terms: fruit, seed

Booth's willow flowers in late spring or midsummer, from May to June. The fruit ripens soon after plant flowering, followed by seed dispersal in late July and early August [14,35].

More info for the terms: fire severity, herbaceous, organic soils, severity, shrub

Booth's willow is a fire-tolerant shrub that has a short postfire regeneration period [19]. Its seeds need a nutrient-rich mineral seedbed to germinate. The chance of Booth's willow establishing after a fire lessens as available mineral soil seedbeds become occupied by faster growing herbaceous species and mosses [3]. Fire severity affects the mode of willow postfire recovery. Following light-severity fires most willows recover quickly, sending up new shoots from undamaged root crowns. Few, if any , seedlings establish following this type of fire because the partially consumed organic soil layers comprise an unfavorable seedbed. Following severe fire, however, the primary mode of recovery is seedling establishment. Severe fires that burn into organic soils kill willows, but expose mineral soils which provide excellent seedbeds [35].

More info for the terms: ground residual colonizer, root crown, secondary colonizer, shrub

Small shrub, adventitious-bud root crown Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community) Secondary colonizer - off-site seed

More info for the terms: adventitious, aerenchyma, capsule, cover, dehiscent, dioecious, formation, fruit, litter, root crown, seed, tree

Sexual reproduction: Booth's willow is dioecious. The fruit is contained in a dehiscent capsule that releases many seeds. Seeds are dispersed by wind or water. Optimum seed production occurs between 2 and 10 years [1,14]. The seeds of Booth's willow are short-lived and require newly deposited or recently scoured sand or gravel bars for germination [16]. Germination is inhibited on sites with a continuous cover of tree litter or those with indirect sunlight [3,14]. Seed germination occurs over a broad temperature range, 41 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit (5-25 deg C). This appears to be a compensatory mechanism because of the short seed life [3]. Vegetative reproduction: Booth's willow sprouts readily from the root crown or basal stem. Booth's willow will sprout vigorously following cutting regardless of cutting season, but vigor is more pronounced if cutting occurs during the dormant season [3,14]. Booth's willow is highly tolerant of frost and flooding. One adaptation under these conditions is the formation of a soft, spongy tissue called aerenchyma. This tissue enlarges the lenticels in the stems and permits more efficient gas exchange and regeneration of roots. Growth is severely limited when water levels are maintained at or above the root crown. Adventitious rooting will occur above the flooded soil [20].

More info on this topic.

This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

5 Columbia Plateau
6 Upper Basin and Range
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
10 Wyoming Basin
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont

More info on this topic.

More info for the term: xeric

Booth's willow is found in early to mid seral plant communities. It is a pioneer species on recent alluvial deposits and on recently disturbed sites [34]. In Montana, the successional trend on former beaver ponds or stream channels is from open water to beaked sedge or water sedge communities to eventual codominance by Booth's willow and other willow species. If the stand dries out, Booth's willow will be replaced by species better adapted to more xeric conditions [12]. Booth's willow has low shade tolerance and therefore loses dominance on sites that are heavily forested or succeeded by more shade-tolerant species [14].

Salix pseudocordata (Anderss.) Rydb.

More info for the term: natural

The currently accepted name of Booth's willow is Salix boothii Dorn
[1]. There are no varieties, forms, or natural hybrids.

Booth's willow is useful in stabilizing streambanks and providing erosion control on severely disturbed sites [1,14,24]. It is valuable in revegetating disturbed riparian sites having high water tables and low elevations [24]. Booth's willow is capable of colonizing a wide range of riparian sites such as rocky or gravelly sites near the water table to drier benches with deep fine-textured soils [1]. Planting willow stem cuttings has been recognized as a valuable tool for restoring riparian habitats [26]. The use of willow in rehabilitation should be emphasized [13].

Salix boothii is a species of willow known by the common name Booth's willow.

It is native to western North America from British Columbia and Alberta south to California and New Mexico. It grows in moist mountain habitat, such as riverbanks.