: of, relating to, or being a forest characterized by the presence of large old trees, numerous snags and woody debris, and a multilayered canopy and that is usually in a late stage of ecological succession
old growth noun

Examples of old-growth in a Sentence

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Something like this was tried with Pacific Northwest old-growth forest in the 1990s; known as the Northwest Forest Plan, it is meant to protect not just the owl but old growth more broadly—but the plan, which is still in use, covers only one ecosystem type. Emma Marris, The Atlantic, 25 May 2025 The removal of these keystone organisms devastated the grove’s structure, soil composition and hydrology, effectively collapsing the entire old-growth ecosystem. Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025 Barker Woods is now considered an old-growth forest, based on the age of the trees, but they were planted by the Barker family on acreage that was once farmland. Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 18 May 2025 But perhaps the most familiar old-growth forests are the complex, wet old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest, which stretch from northwestern California to southeastern Alaska. Reed Frederick Noss, The Conversation, 16 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for old-growth

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of old-growth was in 1868

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Cite this Entry

“Old-growth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/old-growth. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

old-growth

adjective
ˈōl(d)-ˈgrōth
: of, relating to, or being a forest characterized by the presence of large old trees, dead standing trees, and fallen rotting trees and that is usually in a late stage of development
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