FLATHEAD COUNTY — People of all ages gathered at the Trumbull Creek Educational Forest in Flathead County for a family-friendly day of hands-on experiences and demonstrations focused on the natural resource industry at the Family Forest Expo.
The expo featured activities ranging from handling fish and aquatic insects to learning about fire management and forest thinning.
Holly McKenzie, a Kalispell Unit Service Forester with the DNRC, said the event offers something for everyone.
“Kids are handling fish and aquatic insects, and they go up to fire management and they learn about fuels in the forest and why we need to thin our forests to keep wildfire a little more manageable,” McKenzie said.
The main attraction was the demonstrations at the grandstand, where hundreds packed in to watch logging equipment in action. Pack mules and the Flathead Valley Community College Logger Sports Team also hosted competitions to show off their skills.
Dustin Haley, co-captain of the FVCC Logger Sports Team, said the event is about more than spectacle.
“This is worth reaching out to the younger folks and giving them that view of it’s not just super cool, great big machines, it’s also hard work and a little bit of practice,” Haley said.
Organizers say the expo has been held for 37 years and has inspired many to pursue careers in natural resources.
McKenzie said the long-term impact of the event has become clear in recent years.
“We’ve learned in recent years of the sheer number of young people who’ve attended expo 20 years ago, 30 years ago, when they were kids, and how much it meant to them and how it did plant a seed that helped them to start thinking about where they wanted to go with their career later on,” McKenzie said.
For participants and organizers alike, the expo reflects a shared commitment to the future of forestry in the Flathead Valley.
Haley said the sense of community within the profession is part of what makes the event meaningful.
“Just to support one another and it’s one of the things I truly love about forestry, is the sheer support across the entire profession,” Haley said.
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