SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Northern Hills Ranger District on the Black Hills National Forest is planning to conduct the Beartown and/or Short Draw prescribed fire project April 24, 2024, as weather conditions permit. The Beartown project area is located 1 mile north of Iron Creek Lake off Tinton Road (Forest System Road 134) and the Short Draw project area is located approximately 6 miles south of Cheyenne Crossing, SD.
The objectives of these prescribed fires are to reduce hazardous fuels that may contribute to unwanted wildfires that could make suppression efforts difficult to control during the summer months. Prescribed fires are also used in multiple existing meadows to rejuvenate grasses, forbs, and shrubs, while also benefiting grazing for big game, as well as cattle, while reestablishing meadow boundaries by reducing pine, and spruce encroachment.
Forest visitors and hunters are asked to avoid these areas during implementation. Smoke from the prescribed burn will be visible throughout the day of the burn and may linger for several days. Firefighters will be on site throughout the day of ignition and will periodically patrol the burns for several days afterward. If you see smoke from this burn, please do not call 911.
“By implementing prescribed fire in a low-intensity, controlled way, we use strategic and planned fire to improve the health of the forest,” said Chris Zoller, Northen Hills Fire Management Officer, Black Hills National Forest. “Reducing fuel loads and ladder fuels from our forested landscape helps minimize the threat of unwanted wildfire.”
Prescribed fire specialists compare current and predicted environmental conditions to those outlined in burn plans before deciding whether to burn on a given day. Burn plans include 21 separate elements including Goals & Objectives, Prescription (weather and fire behavior), Holding plans, and Contingency planning. A prescribed burn will not be ignited unless the conditions meet the criteria described in the burn plan.
