The students at Whitefish Christian Academy can now defend their ground from two new wooden forts on the school’s playground.

SmartLam, a high-tech wood manufacturing business in Columbia Falls, donated the play forts to the school. One fort sits on a small hill in the center of the playground and the other is a short distance away.

“This means a lot to us,” school headmaster Todd Kotila said. “This saved us about $3,000.”

Kotila said he was contacted by the company asking what it could do for the school and it just happened that the WCA needed to replace two worn-out pieces of equipment.

The forts are made with cross laminated timber, a process in which lumber is stacked together at right angles and glued over the entire surface in panels that are prefabricated based on the project. It’s the same process SmartLam uses to create mats for heaving equipment that can weigh 2.5 million pounds.

The forts were assembled at the playground last week and parent volunteers will stain the wood. The forts have windows, and a step inside allows access to a wooden walkway.

“The kids love them,” Kotila said. “It’s great when a community company does something like this to help.”

The company also offered to give student tours of its manufacturing plant in Columbia Falls. Kotila said he hopes to arrange for the school’s middle school students to take a field trip there soon.