All classes of livestock eat redstem ceanothus. Palatability to elk varies seasonally but is generally highest in winter.
Values are percent of dry weight.
Redstem ceanothus provides excellent cover for many birds and mammals. These shrubs provide particularly good thermal cover during cold, windy periods. Numerous small birds and mammals find cover in shrubfields formed by redstem ceanothus and other tall, seral shrubs. The seeds stratify naturally in the soil over winter and germinate the next spring. Because germination is favored by heat scarification, treatments that include postharvest burns create the most favorable conditions for the development of ceanothus.