Greenough Park, the first city park in Missoula, has now also earned the distinction as Montana's first park to be officially designated as an old-growth forest.

Missoula's Parks and Recreation Board on Tuesday voted unanimously to accept the "Community Old Growth Forest" designation for the ribbon of black cottonwood forest and open space bordering Rattlesnake Creek. The designation was bestowed by the Old Growth Forest Network. The board's action also set Sept. 9 as "a day to commemorate Greenough Park, Missoula's first park."

"Those are special forests that are allowed to live out their natural lives with minimal interference by humans, with the exception of things like controlling for maples, but are embedded in communities but provide all the amenities that old growth forests provid

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