Abstract
Black huckleberry ( Vaccinium membranaceum )—an economically, ecologically, and culturally important shrub across the Pacific and Inland Northwest—is experiencing widespread declines in suitable habitat because of fire suppression and climate change. We tested the role of experimentally placed downed woody debris (DWD) in mitigating unsuitable habitat conditions through creating favorable abiotic microsites and promoting black huckleberry seedling survival. We planted 1‐year‐old black huckleberry seedlings at four distances (0, 0.25, 0.5, and 1.5 m) from DWD, on the north and south aspects of east‐to‐west‐oriented DWD, at three study sites in Northern Idaho, United States. Over one growing season (May to September), we measured seedling survival, chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/fm), soil surface temperature (SST), and soil volumetric water content (VWC) monthly. Only 21% of seedlings survived the entire season, but survival on the north DWD aspect (28.3%) was twice that of the south (14.2%). Additionally, survival at the nearest distances (0 and 0.25 m; 29%) was double that of farther distances (0.5 and 1.5 m; 13.6%) for both DWD aspects. The north aspect and nearest distances were also associated with the highest Fv/fm, lowest SST, and highest VWC, confirming expected abiotic characteristics of the DWD‐associated microsite. The distinct spatial and directional effects highlight a facet of DWD microsites, which can improve best practices for microsites during restoration. We demonstrate that DWD‐facilitated microsites can be a pivotal restoration tool to ameliorate climate extremes and enhance shrub recruitment into more durable life stages.