Forestry Expo open to public on Saturday

The 21st annual Family Forestry Expo gets under way this week, but the weekend schedule has been scaled back to be held on Saturday only.

During the week, more than 1,200 fifth-graders will attend the Expo at the Trumbull Creek Educational Forest between Columbia Falls and Whitefish.

The forest, owned by Stoltze Land and Lumber, features a .7-mile nature trail with a variety of educational stations and demonstrations covering fisheries, aquatic ecosystems, archaeology, wildlife, fire, backcountry ethics, plant identification, forestry and more.

A grandstand show features logging equipment demonstrations and the Spotted Bear Ranger District mule pack string. The Flathead Valley Community College Logging Sports Team competition will be held at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday.

A free logging camp lunch will be provided on Saturday from 11:30 am. to 1 p.m.

There also are exhibits featuring local organizations, businesses and agencies that deal with natural resources.

The expo is organized by volunteers from businesses, organizations and government agencies each spring.

For more Expo information on the Internet, look for:

http://www.familyforestryexpo.org