Robert Flogaus-Faust, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Bigleaf Maple
Acer macrophyllum
Janka | 850
Wetter forests west of the Cascades
The leaves of the Bigleaf Maple are the largest of the world’s many maples and are full of nutrients which enrich the soil when they fall. The leaves are also full of water (not oil like conifer needles) so these trees serve as an important natural firebreak in the forest.