MISSOULA, MT — When trees come down in Missoula’s parks and natural areas, they don’t always end up as mulch or firewood. Thanks to a creative program by Missoula Parks and Recreation, many of these trees are being repurposed into wooden trail markers and park infrastructure — saving money and reducing waste.
The City of Missoula manages approximately 42,000 trees, many of which occasionally need to be removed due to age, disease, or storm damage. Rather than letting the wood go to waste, the city’s Zero Wood Waste effort salvages large portions of these trees, especially durable hardwood like Norway Maple, to create smooth, routed boards used as directional signs on the city’s extensive trail network.
“We mill these logs into lumber, shape and smooth the boards, then route and paint directions on them before installing them on our properties,” explained Jeff Gicklhorn, Conservation Lands Program Manager for Missoula Parks and Recreation. Last year, the project replaced all trail signs on Mount Jumbo, totaling around 65 signs from Cherry Street to Marshall Canyon. The previous year, the program refreshed signs in the North Hills.
Beyond trail markers, the salvaged wood is milled into beams and boards used to build kiosks and other park structures — a process that significantly cuts costs for the city compared to purchasing new lumber.
“The cost to take a salvage log and mill it ourselves is much lower than buying brand-new lumber,” Gicklhorn said. “It also keeps those logs from going to the compost facility and being ground into mulch.”
Not all trees are salvageable. A damaging windstorm last summer downed thousands of trees, but many were too mangled to reuse. Those were removed by contractors and processed as mulch instead.
Looking ahead, Missoula Parks and Recreation plans to renew trail signage on Mount Sentinel next year, followed by Dean Stone. Though the city isn’t currently accepting new logs for these projects, Garden City Compost helps by sorting and staging high-quality logs, which the city then evaluates for potential reuse.
Through this Zero Wood Waste initiative, Missoula demonstrates a sustainable approach to urban forestry management — extending the life of fallen trees while saving money and reducing waste.
