VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Acer circinatum | Vine Maple 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
Vine maple wood has no commercial value but is used locally for tool
handles and firewood [31].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
During the summer, vine maple's abundant foliage is a preferred food of
black-tailed deer and elk.  Since it grows at low elevations, it is
usually abundant on elk winter ranges and ranks high as an elk winter
browse [5,46,55].

In western Oregon, seral vine maple/western swordfern communities which
develop after wildfire supply a high quantity of forage for black-tailed
deer [29].  Black-tailed deer show a high preference for this community
during all seasons.  Seral brush communities with an abundance of vine
maple often contain high populations of mountain beaver [1,6].

The seeds, buds, and flowers of maples (Acer spp.) provide food for
numerous birds and small mammals.  Squirrels and chipmunks eat the
seeds, frequently storing them in caches after removing the hull and
wing.  Numerous birds use the leaves and seed stalks of maples for nest
building [43].

Vine maple is eaten by both cattle and sheep.  Sheep utilization of
available vine maple herbage averaged 79 and 84 percent over two
consecutive summers on cut-over Douglals-fir lands in Washington [32].
Sheep allowed to graze during the summer on Douglas-fir plantations in
western Oregon also showed a preference for vine maple [39].


PALATABILITY : 
Vine maple is moderately to highly palatable to cattle and sheep [61].
Sheep grazing cut-over lands in western Oregon and Washington show a
preference for this maple [32,39].

Vine maple leaves and twigs are highly palatable to black-tailed deer
and elk in the summer.  After leaf fall in autumn, black-tailed deer
seldom consume vine maple twigs, but elk will browse the twigs
throughout the winter [6,8,29,55].

The relish and degree of use shown by livestock and wildlife species for
vine maple in the following western states is rated as follows
[5,28,32,39,46,52]:

                    CA        OR            WA

Cattle           fair-poor   ----          ----
Sheep            fair-poor   good          good
Horses             poor      ----          ----
Elk                ----      good          good
Black-tailed deer  fair      good(summer)  good(summer) 


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Analysis of western Oregon and Washington vine maple browse indicates
that this plant provides little nutrition during the winter.  Twigs
analyzed during the winter were low in protein (4.4 to 5.8%), high in
fat, and very high in crude fiber (43-50% of dry weight) [8,16,28].  The
high fiber content greatly reduces digestibility, which is probably why
black-tailed deer will consume this maple during the winter only when
more nutritious forage is unavailable.  In the summer, crude protein
averages 9 to 13 percent, and crude fiber 15 to 20 percent by dry
weight.  At this time vine maple is a key browse species for
black-tailed deer and elk.

Results from the chemical analysis of vine maple plants collected in
western Oregon is summarized below (collection dates unknown) [51]:

                      Nutrient Content (% by weight)
                 N       P       Mg      Ca      Na      K     

Stems           .18     .08     .05     .51     .003    .18
Foliage        2.28     .39     .33     .78     .008    .52

In comparison with other understory shrubs sampled in this study, vine
maple generally had higher concentrations of all nutrients.


COVER VALUE : 
Clearcutting of mature forests generally creates favorable habitat for
deer and elk.  Vine maple, along with other shrubs which make up seral
brushfields following logging, affords deer and elk good cover.

The Pacific silver fir/vine maple/coolwort foamflower (Tiarella
trifoliata) and the western hemlock/vine maple/western swordfern plant
associations provide good summer range for deer and elk.  The dense
shrub layer provides good hiding cover [25,26].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
There is little information of the use of vine maple for rehabilitation.
Other maples have been used for wildlife habitat improvements and native
landscaping [30].  When considering vine maple for these purposes,
transplanting nursery grown seedlings will probably show the best
results.  Guides for producing nursery grown maple (Acer spp.) seedlings
for transplanting are available [17,25].  


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Vine maple is an ornamental shrub used in landscaping.  Native Americans
called this maple "basket tree" because they weaved baskets with the
long straight stems [2].  Native Americans also carved the wood into
numerous household utensils such as spoons, bowls, and platters, and
used the branches for scoop nets to take salmon [13].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Following logging, vine maple along with other shrubs often form dense
brushfields that can severely interfere with the establishment of
conifer seedlings [9,10,16].  To aid in conifer seedling establishment,
chemical or mechanical shrub reduction or removal may be needed.  Many
mechanical and manual shrub reduction methods include pulling, scalping,
cutting, and mechanical clearing [20,31].  Cutting may prove ineffective
at reducing vine maple, as sprouts normally regrow rapidly from
established root systems.  Scarifying sites with bulldozers or other
machines after logging has proven effective.  Up to 75 percent mortality
of vine maple has occurred under this treatment [15].  Chemical sprays
have been widely used for controlling shrub growth in the Pacific
Northwest.  Since sprays are more effective on resprouting plants than
on mature plants, maximum control can be achieved on plants resprouting
after logging or burning [26].  Glyphosate, picloram, triclopyr, and
imazapyr appear to be effective at killing this maple; however, it is
resistant to 2,4-D even at the highest rates [6].  Many guides detailing
the proper rates and application of chemicals for controlling vine maple
are available [6,26,31].

Sheep grazing of young conifer plantations is an effective method of
controlling undesirable shrub species.  Browsing clearcuts during the
summer when vine maple and other target brush species are most palatable
to sheep, but when conifer seedling palatability to sheep is at a
seasonal low, can significantly reduce vine maple standing crop [18].

Related categories for Species: Acer circinatum | Vine Maple