SD Field Office to conduct prescribed burns in Fort Meade Recreation Area
courtesy: U.S. Forest Service website
STURGIS, S.D. — On Friday, the South Dakota Field Office plans to conduct prescribed burns on the Fort Meade Recreation Area near Sturgis as soon as conditions permit.
The Bureau of Land Management says the burning is planned for an area south of the Old Fort Meade VA cemetery, which represents about 500 acres. Smoke may be visible from Interstate 90, State Highway 34, State Highway 79 and the city of Sturgis.
The objectives of the prescribed burn are to reduce hazardous fuel accumulations, reduce ponderosa pine stand densities and restore a more balanced pine-savanna habitat.
The bureau says reducing plant litter, decadent grass and fuel accumulations will also lower the likelihood or intensity of future wildfires in the area. A prescribed fire also encourages new growth in forage.
For additional information, you can call the South Dakota Field Office at 605-892-7000.
To learn more about how prescribed burns are conducted, you can check out NewsCenter1’s story on the subject here.
