100 MISC. PUBLICATION 101, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
ern Montana it seems to be of little importance, but the early sprout 
erowth is browsed freely by deer and elk, and hence it is of value 
on range reserved for game; in the Rocky Mountain region gener- 
ally it is of fair value or perhaps only poor in Utah; in southern 
Idaho it is considered good for both cattle and sheep. 
Douglas maple (A. douglasiz, syn. A. glabrum douglasiz) (fig. 26), 
known also as mountain maple and in shrubby forms as dwarf 
maple, is a shrub or small tree and occurs from Alaska to Alberta, 
northwestern Wyoming, and northeastern Oregon. It is often com- 
mon on brush or timber covered slopes, in fairly heavy shade, about 
seeps and springs, and along streams, at elevations of about 1,500 
to 5,000 feet. It attains its best development in rich moist loams 
and is frequently a companion of willows, alders, serviceberry, 
oceanspray and mockorange (syringa). In Washington and Ore- 
gon it is as a rule readily browsed where accessible by both sheep 
and cattle and in northern Idaho is considered good on sheep range. 
Bigtooth maple (A. grandidentatum) (fig. 27) ranges from north- 
ern Montana to western Texas and high-montane Arizona. It is 
ordinarily a shrub with firm, rather small ieaves, and grows in 
willowlike clumps about 9 feet high; not infrequently, however, it 
becomes a small tree 12 to 18 feet high, and farther south it occa- 
sionally reaches a height of 30 or 40 feet. The species occurs in 
canyons, wooded valleys, and western yellow pine woods, usually 
along or near streams, between 5,000 and 8,000 feet in altitude, 
and often in limestone formations. It is mostly too rare to have 
any forage significance but is palatable to livestock when within 
their reach. In a few places, however, it attains some importance, 
being a good all-season cattle browse in the Dixie region of southern 
Utah. 
Southwestern maple (A. drachypterwm), sometimes called short- 
wing maple (fig. 26), of Arizona and southern New Mexico is 
of fairly similar browse status and habitats. 
Vine maple (A. circinatum) (fig. 26) is probably the most valu- 
able browse among the Pacific maples. The common name refers 
to the straggling, vinelike habit frequently assumed by the species, 
which is a slender-stemmed shrub or tree, occasionally as much as 
30 or 40 feet high but mostly much lower. It is a very tolerant 
species, forming an understory in Douglas fir and pine woods, asso- 
ciated with dogwood, serviceberry, Douglas maple, etc., and is 
characteristic between elevations of 1,500 and 5,000 feet, along 
streams, in rich woods, and on moist sandy loams in bottom lands. 
The species sometimes grows so thickly in a tangled undergrowth, 
especially in its optimum range in coastal Washington and Oregon, 
as to preclude its having any considerable browse utility; but ordi- 
narily in open stand and of relatively low stature, it is a rather 
important cattle and sheep browse, uniting abundant size and quan- 
tity of leafage with fair to good palatability. Because of its hand- 
some foliage, scarlet when it unfolds and in the fall, its slender 
purple twigs, and scarlet flowers with protruded golden stamens, 
vine maple is highly ornamental and is cultivated in Europe and 
the Eastern States. 
Bigleaf maple (A. macrophyllum), often called Oregon maple, 
occurs from extreme southeastern Alaska along or near the Pacific 
