Pigs Love Eating Oregon Big Leaf Maple Leaves

While we raise our natural pastured pigs in a forest that is primarily regrowth Douglas Fir, there are other trees in the forest. Probably the most prolific tree, other than the Douglas Fir tree, is the Oregon Big Leaf Maple . . . and the pigs love eating them!

In the spring, the kids discovered that the pigs loved to eat the new flowers and leaves of the maples. They would pick the low hanging leaves and feed them to the pigs. The pigs loved the tasty treats.

I was wondering if they would also eat the maple leaves in the fall once they fell off the trees. And they do! The pigs love eating the fallen Oregon Big Leaf Maple leaves too.

The Big Leaf Maple, sometimes called Oregon Maple, derives both its common name and its scientific name, macrophyllum, from the fact that it can have leaves up to 12 inches across . . . the largest of any maple!

Big-Leaf Maple is native to the Pacific coast from southeast Alaska to southern California. They are one of the characteristic large trees in Pacific Northwest forests. They grow best and biggest in wet lowland forests west of the Cascades, but they can also be found on dry hillsides along the Columbia River gorge. Its leaves will grow bigger and more impressive when growing in moist, shady areas.

And this is the case at Sasquatch Wallows. Down by the creek the vast majority of trees are Oregon Maples, along with a few big cedars. We do not let the pigs down by the creek, but the Big Leaf Maples create a beautiful canopy for the family and kids to play under in the summer.

This majestic tree is made even more interesting by the life it supports.  Its deeply ridged bark creates and ideal habitat for epiphytes (plants that grow on trees without soil), including many species of mosses and lichens as well as the Licorice Fern, Polypodium glycyrrhiza. When you see a tree covered with moss, you can be pretty sure it is probably a Big-Leaf Maple!  As the moss-layer thickens and begins to decompose enough soil is sometimes created for tree seedlings to germinate.

The seeds, buds and flowers of Big-Leaf Maple are a favorite food of many small mammals and birds. The twigs are eaten by deer and elk. Extensive browsing of these seedlings by Black-tailed Deer makes for a very short life for most of them.

Yes, you can make maple syrup from Oregon Big Leaf Maples 

You can also eat the flowers in the spring.

While the pigs and other forest animals love the Oregon Big Leaf Maple, be aware that some maples (the red maple, silver maple, and sugar maple) are poisonous to horses due to their gallic acid content.  Causing a degradation of red blood cells leading to a lack of oxygen in the blood. Horses that ingest red maple can die in as few as 18 hours.

If you want to learn more about how we let our pigs be pigs in the forests of Oregon, be sure to follow us on Facebook and YouTube.