50 Years Young, 1000 Years Old
By Intermountain West Regional Manager Ashley Martens
I rose on the morning of my 50th birthday to sun shining through cedar fronds and the tinkling song of a pacific wren. I yawned and stretched as I walked under the shady canopy of giant trees towards the sound of water to wash my face for the day. For now, I was the only human present in the Ross Creek Cedar Grove, a beloved old-growth forest near Troy, Montana. Soon, the local stewards of this place - staff from the Kootenai National Forest and Friends of Scotchmans Peak Wilderness - would arrive for our dedication celebrating Ross Creek’s inclusion in the Old-Growth Forest Network.
I splashed the clear creek water against my cheeks, the chill thrilling me awake. I let myself be pulled towards an especially grand cedar tree and rested my back against the soft bark of her massive trunk. Fifty years feels old until I compare myself to this 1000+ year old tree. I’m just a baby! And yet, I’ve learned a few things. This particular old-growth forest and its dedication celebration taught me that:
Forest-loving humans come in all forms - those of us that gathered at Ross Creek that day included a retired Idaho Department of Lands Forester, Wilderness advocates, two folks from the US Forest Service, myself, and a few ordinary citizens spanning from ages 10-70. We all agreed - just as the original indigenous peoples and even the early loggers who marked this place off limits to harvest because it was just too amazing - that this place was special. Now, more than ever, we need to remember our common ground.
An old forest brings out the child in all of us – there was only 1 child present, but the moment we stepped into the grove and breathed the moist, rich air, we all felt a sense of wonder that evoked a playfulness as we hugged trees, crawled inside of hollow snags, and walked on giant downed logs. Now, more than ever, we need to remember to find joy.
We are all shaped by our experiences - in life, whether it be that of a tiny human or that of a giant cedar tree, a community of people or of a forest community, our experiences provide opportunities for us to grow, adapt, and develop relationships. There were fire scars on some of the oldest trees, and yet they persevered and sprouted candelabra-shaped crowns. Rare nitrogen-fixing lungwort lichens (aka cyanolichens) dripped from other branches, supported by the perfect ratio of shade to sun created by fallen trees and lack of large-scale disturbance. In turn, the lungworts make nitrogen available to the forest ecosystem. Every experience is an opportunity. Now, more than ever, we need to remember that we have the capacity to keep growing and making connections.
Photo courtesy of Michael McNulty
The Ross Creek Cedar Grove was dedicated into the Old-Growth Forest Network on September 26, 2025 as Montana’s 1st Network forest. We look forward to more opportunities to come together on common ground to remember life’s vast capacity for joy, growth, and making connections. If you have an old-growth forest in mind in the Intermountain West that will help us do this, please reach out to Ashley Martens at ashley@oldgrowthforest.net.
➡️ To learn more about protecting more amazing old-growth forests within the Recommended Scotchmans Peaks Wilderness adjacent to the Ross Creek Cedars, please visit their website.
