of the mountains. In Oregon this plant apparently is confined almost entirely 

 to the west side of the Cascades ; in northeastern California it also occurs under 

 the drier, east side conditions. 



Vine maple is exceedingly tolerant of shade and forms an understory in 

 forests of Douglas fir, western hemlock, silver fir, lowland white fir, and on the 

 eastern slope in moist bottoms in the ponderosa pine type. It grows most 

 luxuriantly on the low, alluvial bottom lands where its stems spread in wide 

 curves, sending out long slender branches, which often take root where they 

 contact the ground, forming dense, almost impenetrable, thickets, often many 

 acres in extent, of contorted and intertwined stems. This plant is commonly 

 5 to 20 feet high, but, on the more favorable sites, it attains treelike propor- 

 tions up to 30 or 40 feet in height, with main stems up to 10 or 12 inches 

 thick. 1 Vine maple also favors moist, rich soils on flats, benches, depressions, 

 borders of mountain streams, and moist slopes, ranging from near sea level 

 to elevations of about 5,000 feet. After the virgin forests of the Douglas fir 

 region have been logged-off or destroyed by fire, vine maple is usually one of the 

 common species which reappear in the shrub stage of plant succession. When 

 growing under full sunlight in openings, such as clearings, cut-over or burned- 

 over areas, this plant develops into an erect, compact, symmetrical shrub, 

 totally different in appearance from the form it assumes in dense shade. 



This species usually rates as fair to good forage for both cattle and sheep, 

 being of greatest significance as a browse plant on the logged-off lands where 

 it furnishes large amounts of palatable herbage. In his studies of grazing 

 use on Douglas fir cut-over lands in Washington, the late Douglas C. Ingram* 

 found that utilization of available vine maple herbage by sheep varied from 

 49 percent to 99 percent over two successive seasons, with averages of about 

 79 percent and 84 percent. Undoubtedly the higher utilization occurred on 

 the more heavily grazed portions of the range. Ordinarily, large-scale live- 

 stock operations are not conducted in the dense virgin forests of the Douglas 

 fir region, although the domestic animals of ranchers and settlers customarily 

 graze in many of the bottoms, usually making moderate use of the vine maple. 

 The twigs are browsed with relish during the winter; it is, in fact, a local 

 practice among settlers in some parts of the Northwest to slash this plant down 

 in the winter to provide emergency feed for their cattle and sheep, when 

 grasses and other natural forage are scarce. 



The leaves and twigs of vine maple are also valuable feed of the Columbian 

 blacktail deer and the Roosevelt elk, the important big game species native to 

 the coastal region. These animals browse the leaves in spring and summer, 

 and the leafless twigs often form an important part of their winter diet. The 

 fact that this species grows most abundantly in the lower mountains and bottom 

 lands, where the game animals concentrate during the winter, enhances its 

 importance as a winter game feed. Vine maple is one of the key species on the 

 elk ranges of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, where it is the backbone 

 of the winter range. The elk utilize the herbage and twigs at all seasons of 

 the year and browse many of the plants as high as they can reach. Vine maple 

 is enabled to stand up well under excessive browsing, since many of the 

 branches extend above the reach of grazing animals and the plants, if given 

 a chance, replenish themselves profusely by new shoots and suckers. 



The wood of vine maple is heavy, hard, and close-grained but not strong. 

 Although used locally for fuel and for minor domestic purposes, it has no 

 commercial value. The coastal Indians of the Northwest use the slender 

 stems for the bows of their fishing-nets. 1 During autumn, the leaves often 

 dominate the landscape with their brilliant and artistically blended, reddish, 

 yellow, or bright scarlet hues. 



A mountain side painted with the autumn foliage of vine maple is a gorgeous 

 and soul-stirring spectacle. Because of its handsome foliage, its slender pale 

 green or reddish brown twigs, and its scarlet flowers with protruding golden 

 stamens, this plant is prized in ornamental cultivation in the Eastern States 

 and in Europe. 



1 Sargent, C. S. MANUAL OF THE TREES OK NORTH AMERICA (EXCLUSIVE OF MEXICO). 

 Ed. 2, reprinted with corrections, 910 pp., illus. Boston and New York. 1926. 



2 Ingram, D. C. VEGETATIVE CHANGES AND GRAZING USE ON DOUGLAS FIR CUT-OVER LAND. 

 Jour. Agr. Research [U. S.] 43:387-417, illus. 1931. 



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