Mellea farm provides goats . . . and the shepherds to protect them

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Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum). Riparian Woodland. Found from southern Alaska to southern California, Bigleaf Maple can form uniform stands where soil moisture and low temperatures are prevalent or can exist as a component of riparian woodlands in cool canyons where they would otherwise succumb to dryness and heat. Often components of mixed forests in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, Bigleaf Maples provide fall hillsides and mountains with vibrant splashes of yellow foliage among the evergreens. In old growth forests of canyons in the north, the shade, cool temperatures and high moisture encourages the growth of mosses and lichens which often cover the trunks and branches of the maples. Other trees are less likely to support this high density of epiphytic growth which softens the bare branches of winter and provides an "arboreal soil" which supports a unique ecosystem within the canopy.

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