Draft record of decision released for the Black Hills Resilient Landscapes project

Custer, SD March 26, 2018 – The Forest Service has completed the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Black Hills Resilient Landscapes project. The FEIS and draft record of decision are available for public review on the Black Hills National Forest website at http://tinyurl.com/BHRLProject.

The purpose of the project is to move landscape-level vegetation conditions in the project area toward objectives set by the Black Hills National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan, as amended, in order to increase ecosystem resilience to insect infestation and other natural disturbances, contribute to public safety and the local economy, and reduce risk of wildfire to landscapes and communities.

The draft decision is to implement activities including reduction of hazardous fuels, prescribed burning, enhancement of hardwoods and grasslands, timber harvest, non-commercial thinning, and associated actions. The draft decision also amends the Land and Resource Management Plan to allow fuel reduction in additional areas.

Following a pre-decisional review and objection period, Forest Supervisor Mark Van Every will sign a final decision. Project implementation may begin as soon as late summer and is expected to continue for several years.

The project area, which includes most of the Black Hills National Forest, consists of the areas designated under Healthy Forests Restoration Act authority at the request of the Governors of South Dakota and Wyoming. The Black Hills National Forest Advisory Board is serving as a formal collaborator on the project.

Further information on the project is available at http://tinyurl.com/BHRLProject. Paper copies of this information are available on request and at all Black Hills National Forest offices.

For more information on the Black Hills National Forest, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/blackhills or call (605) 673-9200.

–Black Hills National Forest