Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
The U.S. Forest Service is now seeking public comments on the preliminary environmental assessment of its plan to implement a fuel management program on 11,000 acres near Beulah that it says have gone an uncharacteristically long time without fire, leading to dangerous levels of accumulated fuels.
The area in question is around four miles south of Beulah, 13 miles east of Sundance and nine miles west of Spearfish.
“The plan’s goals include protecting basic natural resources, providing biologically diverse ecosystems, striving to reduce the occurrence of severe disturbance events, and providing sustained commodity uses, scenic quality, and recreation opportunities,” states the assessment.
“The plan also divides National Forest lands into management emphasis areas, where various resource and use opportunities are available to the public and where different management practices may be carried out.”
The North Sand Vegetation Management plan has been developed as part of the updated National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy, a nationwide effort that looks to all-lands solutions to solve fire management issues.
Most of the project area has not burned in more than a century. An estimated 1000 acres burned during a severe wildfire in the 1800s and the 1985 Boundary fire burned another 1000 acres.
“Uncharacteristically long periods between fires can change vegetation communities and allow fuels to accumulate. Pine stand density has generally increased over the last century,” states the assessment.
“Many previously open areas, especially on south-facing slopes, are now forested. Highly hazardous fuels exist in approximately a third of the project area, mainly in areas that have not experienced fire or timber harvest in recent decades.”
Proposed actions would include commercial thinning, prescribed burns, oak management and buckthorn suppression.
“The main fuel hazards are concentrations of fallen tree trunks and branches resulting from heavy snow and windstorms, a dense component of smaller trees under a mature canopy and contiguous tree crowns, especially on steep slopes,” states the assessment.
“These conditions can facilitate transition of surface fire into the upper canopy, rapid fire spread, and damage to soil. Severely burned soil can lead to increased runoff, sediment transport and revegetation problems.”
The Forest Service is partnering with the Wyoming State Forestry Division, Crook County Natural Resource District, and the Mule Deer Foundation on this project.
The legal notice of opportunity to comment was published on January 21, opening a 30-day period to submit comments. This can be done via the project website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=65540 or by mail or in person to North Sand Project, 1019 N. 5th St., Custer, SD 57730. Comments can be delivered in person 8 a.m. through 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday (except Federal holidays).
Communications from the public regarding this project, including commenters’ names and contact information, will become part of the public record.