BLM Planning to Conduct Prescribed Burn in Meade County on Fort Meade Recreation Area
The Bureau of Land Management plans to conduct a prescribed burn on the Fort Meade Recreation Area Thursday November 14, 2024. This 240-acre burn is planned near the Fort Meade Reservoir north of Highway 34. Smoke may be visible from Interstate 90, State Highway 34, State Highway 79, and the city of Sturgis. Burning will be completed in one day but smoke may be visible for multiple days after ignition is completed.
Prescribed fire projects require an extensive planning process to determine prescription parameters based off local knowledge, subject matter experts, as well as accepted scientific and computer-based modeling.
Burning will only take place when weather conditions are conducive to safe operations. Fire officials will monitor the current and forecasted weather to determine if conditions will remain favorable. The BLM will contact local authorities prior to any burning taking place.
Burn objectives are to reduce hazardous fuels accumulations, reduce ponderosa pine stand densities, and restore a more balanced pine-savanna habitat. Reducing plant litter, decadent grass, and fuel accumulations will also lower the likelihood or intensity of future wildfires in the area. Prescribed fire also encourages new growth in forage for wildlife and cattle, maintains many plant and animal species whose habitats depend on periodic fire, removes unwanted species that threaten species native to an ecosystem, and recycles nutrients back to the soil.
For additional information call the South Dakota Field Office at 605-892-7000.
For updates before, during, and after prescribed burning operations, you can follow us on Facebook at Bureau of Land Management – Montana/Dakotas or on Twitter @BLM_MTDKs.
