Flathead County has reached an important milestone in its ongoing commitment to wildfire preparedness and forest health with the completion of two major fire mitigation projects—one at Many Lakes and the other, more recently, at Herron Park. Both projects were funded by federal DNRC grants and carried out through close coordination between Parks & Recreation Director Chris Maestas and Fire Service Area Manager Lincoln Chute. The result is a stronger, healthier, and significantly safer landscape for residents living near these beloved forested areas.
The work at Many Lakes has been a long-standing goal, discussed for years within the County’s Weed, Parks & Recreation Department. In a January 2025 memorandum, Maestas described how meaningful it was to finally bring this effort to completion, noting the contractor’s “significant strides thinning County parkland in Many Lakes as well as removing potentially hazardous debris.”
What began as a DNRC cost-share project covering up to 16 acres eventually expanded well beyond that. By securing a competitive quote and taking advantage of winter conditions ideal for thinning work, the County was able to increase the scope by an additional 10.5 acres, treating over 26 acres total and ultimately thinning roughly 65% of the 36 acres Flathead County owns in the Many Lakes area.
This expansion was possible entirely within the original DNRC grant, with no cost to Flathead County taxpayers. As Maestas explained in the January update, maintaining forest health in an area like Many Lakes is essential. With homes nestled among densely wooded parcels, removing dead, diseased, and overcrowded trees helps slow potential fire spread, reduces ladder fuels, and restores the natural diversity needed for a resilient forest. The January fires in Southern California, he noted, are “a stark example of how important hazardous fuel reduction is.”
Over the fall, the County wrapped up safe burning of nearly two dozen slash piles created during the Many Lakes thinning. These burns required careful timing due to how close homes sit to forested parcels. Fortunately, this year’s continued moisture created near-perfect conditions for clean burning without heavy smoke impacts, allowing Lincoln Chute and the Parks team to complete the work before winter fully set in.
Shortly after Many Lakes was completed, crews moved to Herron Park, a designated Community Forest and a high-use recreation area surrounded by neighborhoods. While the budget originally authorized thinning on 20 acres, the contractor was able to treat an impressive 37 acres within the same federal grant funding.
Over the past five years, the County has steadily been improving forest conditions across the northern side of Herron, making this latest phase the most extensive yet. Much like the Many Lakes project, crews targeted young, overcrowded growth and dead or dying trees to improve overall health, expand spacing between trunks, and create a more diverse, fire-resilient stand. Slash piles at Herron will be burned in the spring when winds, moisture, and temperature allow for safe operations.
Together, the Many Lakes and Herron Park projects accounted for just over 60 acres of treatment, nearly double the acreage originally anticipated between the two grants. This outcome not only demonstrates efficient use of federal funds, but serves as an example of what can be accomplished through strong interdepartmental coordination. Maestas emphasized that this work “has long been a goal of our department,” and credited the support of County leadership and the steady partnership of the Fire Service Area in making it possible.
While the County continues to manage and improve its own forested lands, Chute stresses that homeowners play an equally important role in protecting their neighborhoods. Many Lakes, Herron Park, and numerous subdivisions across Flathead County sit within the wildland–urban interface; areas where homes meet heavy fuels, steep terrain, and dense timber. More and more homeowner associations have begun requesting wildfire-preparedness presentations from Chute, who teaches residents how to create defensible space, harden their homes, and understand the fundamentals of wildfire behavior. Insurance companies increasingly recognize and reward HOAs that take these steps, making these presentations not just educational, but financially beneficial as well.
Flathead County remains deeply committed to stewarding its forests and safeguarding nearby communities, but homeowners are encouraged to be proactive partners in that work. With the completion of these major mitigation projects, the County is urging HOAs, neighborhood boards, and residents in wooded areas to take advantage of the resources available to them. A single presentation can equip an entire neighborhood with the tools, knowledge, and defensible-space practices needed to make a real difference long before a fire ever starts.
Homeowner associations interested in scheduling a wildfire-preparedness presentation may contact Fire Service Area Manager Lincoln Chute at . This simple step can strengthen insurance profiles, improve community readiness, and help protect the places we all love.