USFS Pile Burning

For the next 3 days, fire crews will be burning piles on the Black Hills National Forest.  Mystic Ranger District will be burning piles along Twin Springs Road area and the Hell Canyon Ranger District will be burning piles 2-6 miles west / northwest of Custer, SD.

12/27/2016 South Dakota Wildland Fire Slash Pile Burning

The Black Hat and Bear Mountain Handcrews will be burning slash piles in both the Rockerville and Hermosa areas today.  Ignitions may continue throughout the week, if conditions allow.

12/21/16 - Black Hills National Forest Pile Burning Information

Hell Canyon fire is burning piles today approximately 1 to 2 miles NE of Moon & SW of Red Bank Springs.

12/20/2016 Mount Rushmore National Memorial Burning Slash Piles

Release Date:    December 20, 2016 Contact: Marvin Achtenberg, marvin_achtenberg@nps.gov 605-574-3195

Prescribed Burn Reducing Slash Piles 

KEYSTONE, S.D. – Tuesday, December 20 Mount Rushmore National Memorial will implement a prescribed burn to reduce accumulated slash piles in support of the park’s fire management plan. The burns will be ignited in the south east part of the memorial today.

Visitors may see hand crews working in the forest, burning slash piles or experience drifting smoke and haze throughout the burn period.  Natural barriers within the prescribed section ensure a clear and safe operational area.  The prescription includes burning residual slash piles, removal of needle accumulation and minimal ground cover.  

Mount Rushmore National Memorial has successfully completed several fuel-reducing projects in the past several years in an attempt to provide a means to stop or slow the growth of any unwanted wildfire.  These projects have included thinning, through prescribed fire or mechanical removal, overcrowded stands of timber near critical structures and areas within the memorial.

12/19/2016 South Dakota Wildland Fire Pile Burning

The Black Hat and Bear Mountain Handcrews will be burning slash piles in both the Boulder Canyon and Hermosa areas today.  Ignitions may continue tomorrow, weather dependent.

Hermosa Pile Burning - photo by Brandy Petersen

Hermosa Pile Burning - photo by Brandy Petersen

12/16/16 South Dakota Wildland Fire Pile Burning

• The Hot Springs Field Office is planning to ignite slash piles today and through the weekend as necessary near Angostura Lake / Shep’s Recreation Area.  

12/16/16 - Black Hills National Forest Pile Burning Information

• Hell Canyon will be burning piles starting today (12/16/16) through the next several days W of Custer, SD, NE of the Tepee Work Center and SE of Jewel Cave National Monument.

Piles Burning to occur in Custer State Park

Custer, SD; December 16, 2016 – Custer State Park personnel will begin burning piles starting Friday, December 16  to help reduce hazardous fuel throughout the park.

Starting today and continuing throughout the winter, Custer State Park staff will be burning piles as long as conditions allow. This weekend pile burning will occur in the northwest area of the park to the north and west of Mount Coolidge, along American Center Road, and along Needles Highway.

Custer State Park will be working to burn both machine slash piles and hand piles. The piles are created from the left-over non-merchantable material generated by timber sales and from small tree thinning projects designed to reduce fuel loading and fire risk.

“By removing these piles we reduce fuel build up which can in turn can assist with reducing larger fire hazards in the park.” states Rochelle Plocek, fire forester.

Smoke will be visible and may impact local communities surrounding Custer State Park for the next several months. Piles can be expected to continue burning for days after ignition operations are completed. Firefighters will continually check and mop-up the piles until they are out.

Pile burning operations will continue throughout the winter as conditions allow.

For more pile burning information check the Custer State Park Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CusterStatePark/ or contact the Park Office at 605-255-4800. 

12/14/2016 - South Dakota Wildland Fire Burning Slash Piles

• South Dakota Wildland Fire will be burning slash piles at the northwest corner of Deadwood from the Broken Boot Mine working to the east to Denver Street through the week, weather permitting.  

12/12/16 - Black Hills National Forest Pile Burning Information

• Hell Canyon fire is burning piles today through the week, conditions permitting, near Six Mile Rd (FSR 301) south to Limestone Rd (FSR 284).

12/8/16 - Black Hills National Forest Pile Burning Information

Northern Hills fire is burning along Hwy 385 today on the West side. Smoke will range from the Sugar Shack area north up to the Custer Peak area.

12/6/16 - Black Hills National Forest Pile Burning Information

• Northern Hills is burning piles that are located behind the Nemo Workcenter today in Nemo, SD and piles located approximately .5 miles east of Vanocker Canyon and the Dalton Lake Road Junction.

• Northern Hills is also planning to burn piles located west of HWY 85 off of Forest Service Road (FSR) 237.1 and 658.1. Piles will be burned on the east side of HWY 85 off of FSR 730.1, 740.1 and 198.1.

• Hell canyon will be burning piles south of Six Mile Road to Limestone Road for the remainder of the week, weather / snow conditions permitting.

Machine pile burning occurring in the northern Black Hills today

Northern Hills fire on the Black Hills National Forest, is burning 14 machine pile burns today, 12/2/2016, along snowmobile Trail #1 (FSR 222) near Schoolhouse Gulch and along FSR 393.1C (Geranium Park).

Black Hills National Forest Northern Hills Fire Burning Piles Today

Black Hills National Forest Northern Hills fire is burning piles located in the Experimental Forest area today (12/1/16). Conditions permitting, ignition will continue through the week.