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Hell Canyon Maintenance Burn Project Scoping Document

Introduction and Background:

The Hell Canyon Ranger District is proposing to reduce fuels and improve forest health within the 

Jasper and Roger’s Shack fire areas. 

In August and September of 2000 the Jasper Fire burned approximately 83,511 acres, 79,404 of which 

were on National Forest System Lands; the largest fire in the recorded history of the Black Hills. The 

fire was started as a result of arson on August 24th. The fire spread rapidly and overpowered 

suppression efforts. On the afternoon of August 26, 2000, the fire exploded, growing at an average rate 

of more than 100 acres per minute. The fire was officially contained on September 8, 2000. 

In July and August of 2001 the Rogers Shack fire burned approximately 11,879 acres, 264 of which 

were on National Forest Lands. The Rogers Shack Fire was caused by lightning and was managed 

with several other lightning caused fires in the area as part of the Elk Mountain II Complex. The Elk 

Mountain II Complex became the second largest fire in the recorded history of the Black Hills. 

Both fires experienced stand replacing fire behavior with much of the area experiencing high to 

moderate intensity wildfire. The high intensity fire areas resulted in the nearly 100% mortality in the 

overstory and the consumption of nearly all the fine fuels. The result was a stand that is completely 

“black”. Moderate intensity fire resulted in areas where much of the overstory was killed however 

some of the fine fuels remained giving the stand a “brown” appearance. Those areas of high to 

moderate wildfire intensity have resulted in elevated fuel loadings as a result of the dead trees falling 

to the ground. 

Beginning in the late 1990’s large beetle epidemics started and over the past 10 years there have been 

outbreaks across the forest, many that are causing landscape level changes in the forest. Mountain pine 

beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosa) is showing increased activity in the pine stands within the analysis 

area. Patches of dead trees ranging from two or three to several large patches of dozens of infected 

trees can be seen in areas where there is still a heavy concentration of trees. The most noticeable area 

of infestation is along the Antelope Ridge Road (Forest Service Road (FSR) 283) around the 

intersection of the Surveyor’s Hill Road (FSR 668) and less than a mile to the east of this intersection 

along the Mud Springs Road (FSR 282). 

Project Area Description:

The Hell Canyon Maintenance Burn Project Area is located in Custer County and Pennington County, 

South Dakota and is entirely within the Hell Canyon Ranger District of the Black Hills National 

Forest. In general, this project is located approximately 10 miles west of Custer, SD and 18 miles east 

of Newcastle, WY (see map 1). The project includes burning as well as mechanical thinning and 

would occur in 3 distinct parcels (see map 2). The project includes 2,926 acres of commercial 

treatments and 17,983 acres of non-commercial treatments; 16,986 of which is prescribed burning. All 

proposed activities would occur on National Forest lands. There are several arterial roads which 

access the project area including NFSR (National Forest System Road) 282, 283, 284, 668, 221, 273, 

277 and US Hwy 16. 
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Purpose and Need:

The purpose for action in the Hell Canyon Maintenance Burn project area is to reduce long term fire 

hazard and improve health and vigor of forested stands in the Jasper and Rogers Shack fire areas. The 

2000 Jasper Fire and 2001 Rogers Shack Fire created areas of dead and dying stands. In addition, 

mountain pine beetle infestations are occurring within a number of forested stands. In light of these 

conditions within the project area there is a need to reduce existing fuel loadings and to improve the 

health and vigor of existing forested stands. 

Management Direction:

The 1997 Revised Land and Resource Management Plan(Forest Plan), as amended (the Record of 

Decision for the Phase II Forest Plan amendment was signed on October 31, 2005 and this direction 

became effective on February 28, 2006) provides direction for the management of the forest. The 

Forest Plan contains management Goals and Objectives, Management Area direction, and identifies 

desired future conditions for the forest. Resource specialists reviewed the current condition of the 

project area and compared these conditions with the desired conditions identified in the Forest Plan, as 

well as other applicable goals and objectives. Opportunities for improvement were identified. 

Management areas spatially define where differing kinds of resource and use opportunities are 

available to the public and where different management practices may be carried out. The project area 

contains three management area (MA) designations: MA 5.1; Resource Production Emphasis, MA 

5.4; Big Game Winter Range Emphasis, MA 3.7; Late Successional Forest Landscapes. 

Management Area 5.1, Resource Production: lands are managed primarily for wood products, water 

yield, and forage production while also providing other commercial products, visual quality, diversity 

of wildlife and a variety of other goods and services. 

Management Area 5.4, Big Game Winter Range: lands are managed to provide high-quality winter 

and transitional habitat for deer and elk, high-quality turkey habitat, habitat for other species, and a 

variety of multiple uses. 

Management Area 3.7, Late Successional Forest Landscape: lands are managed to feature stands of 

trees that contain late successional forest structure across a landscape. 

Table 1. National Forest management area acreage/percent within the Hell Canyon Maintenance Burn 

project area 

Management Area Emphasis Acres Percentage of Project 

Area 

5.1 Resource Production 1,028 6% 

5.4 Big Game Winter Range 17,213 93% 

3.7 Late Successional Forest Landscape 242 1% 

 Total (NFS lands) 18,483 100% 

Goals within the Phase II amendment of the Forest Plan were used to develop the proposal for the Hell 

Canyon Maintenance Burn project. This project addresses different goals to various extents, but will 

focus on Goal 10 and Goal 11. Goal 10 states, “Establish and maintain a mosaic of vegetation 

conditions to reduce occurrences of catastrophic fire, insect, and disease events, and facilitate insect 
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and disease management and firefighting capability.” Goal 11 States, “Enhance or maintain the natural 

rate of recovery after significant fire and other natural events while maintaining a mosaic of fuelloading conditions to facilitate future fire suppression activities. 

Objectives associated with these goals that pertain to this project include: 

Objective 10-01: Manage for 50 to 75 percent moderate-to-low fire hazard in the wildland-urban 

interface and reduce fire hazard within proximity of structures to current NFPA standards except in 

Management Area (MA) 1.1 Black Elk Wilderness, MA 2.2 Research Natural Areas, MA 3.1 

Botanical Areas, MA 4.2B Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, and MA 5.4A Norbeck Wildlife Preserve. 

Manage the remainder of the Forest for 50 percent moderate-to-low fire hazard except in MA 1.1 

Black Elk Wilderness, MA 2.2 Research Natural Areas, MA 3.1 Botanical Areas, MA 3.7 LateSuccessional Forest Landscapes, MA 4.2B Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway, and MA 5.4A Norbeck 

Wildlife Preserve. 

10-04. Reduce or otherwise treat fuels commensurate with risks (fire occurrence), hazard (fuel 

flammability), and land and resource values common to the area, using the criteria in Forest-wide 

Guideline 4110. 

10-07. Where outbreaks of mountain pine beetle could present risks to management objectives for 

ponderosa pine, reduce acreage of ponderosa pine stands that are in medium or high risk for 

infestation. 

11-02. Achieve a fuel-loading mosaic within 3 to 5 years and reassess as conditions change over time. 

Existing Conditions:

The following table displays existing cover types of National Forest land and approximate 

acreage/percent within the project area. 

 Table 2. National Forest cover types within the project area 

Cover Type Acreage Percentage 

Meadow/Grasslands 1,759 10 

Shrubs 64 >1 

Aspen 243 1 

Ponderosa Pine 16,402 89 

Non-Forest (rock, etc.) 15 >1 

This table shows approximate acreage of structural stages by cover type on National Forest land within 

the project area. 

 Table 3. Structural stages (SS) present within the project area 

Cover Type →

Structural Stage ↓

Ponderosa 

Pine Aspen Meadow Shrub Rock Total 

Meadow/grassland 1,740 1,740 

Non-SS acres 64 15 79 

SS1 12,959 243 13,203 

SS2 0 

SS3A 0 
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SS3B 1 1 

SS3C 0 

SS4A 2,541 18 2,559 

SS4B 901 901 

SS4C 0 

SS5 0 

TOTAL 16,403 243 1,759 64 15 18,483 

Proposed Action:

A proposed action results from a thorough analysis of the desired and existing conditions of the area. 

The team proposes the following treatments in order to fulfill the purpose of and need for the project. 

For vegetation treatment definitions, see Table 5. 

Table 4. Commercial and Non-Commercial Treatments within the project area 

Commercial Treatments Acres 

Overstory Removal (OR) 308 

Commercial Thin 60 (CT60) 904 

Commercial Thin 50 (CT50) 337 

Shelterwood Seedcut (SWSC) 96 

POL Thinning* 1,281 

Total Acres 2,926 

Non-Commercial Treatments 

Pine Encroachment (PE) 159 

Deadfall Treatment 530 

Pre-Commercial Thin (PCT) 308 

Prescribed Burning 16,986 

Total Acres 17,983 

*POL Thinning may be accomplished in conjunction with the Commercial Thinning. 

Table 5. Vegetation Treatment definitions 

Vegetation 

Treatment 

Definition and Objective 

 CT 

Commercial 

Thinning 

Thinning of immature stands generally 7-12” in diameter. Objective is to reduce 

basal area in stands to improve health, tree vigor, and future growth capacity of 

the stand and to reduce susceptibility to mountain pine beetles. Commercial 

thinning would reduce the basal area (BA) to 50 or 60 or ft2/ac depending upon 

existing and desired condition of the stands and their proximity to private land 

POL 

Products Other 

than Logs 

Thinning 

Commercial thinning of dense stands of pine in the 7-inch to less-than-9-inch 

diameter classes. Stands of trees where this treatment is prescribed contain 

smaller-diameter trees than stands with a standard commercial thin prescription. 

The objective is to reduce stand density to concentrate future growth on the most 

desirable trees. Trees in these stands will only be removed if they meet the 
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merchantability specifications for commercial timber, which is an 8-foot piece 

with a 6-inch dib (diameter inside bark) top. Trees that do not meet this 

merchantability specification may be thinned after the initial harvest in order to 

reach the desired tree spacing. 

SWSC 

Shelterwood 

Seed cut 

Even-aged regeneration cutting in mature stands. The most desirable seed trees 

are retained at basal areas of 30-50 ft2/ac. Opening the canopy creates a favorable 

growing environment for pine regeneration. 

OR 

Overstory 

Removal 

Removal of mature to over-mature overstory trees in stands which have been 

successfully regenerated. 

PE 

Pine 

Encroachment 

Removal of pine trees from existing meadows. Only non-commercial sized trees 

shall be removed. Meadow cover-type is maintained. 

Prescription 

Burning 

Management-ignited fire used for reducing unnatural fuel loading in order to 

change fire behavior for wildfire which can reduce risks to life and property 

associated with wildfire. The objective of using prescribed fire in this project is 

to consume a portion of the dead/down fuels as well as scorch and kill a portion 

of the green trees to decrease fire behavior. This treatment creates a mosaic of 

burned and unburned areas which results in an appearance of a naturally-burned 

landscape. 

Precommercial 

Thinning 

A thinning that does not yield trees of commercial value, usually designed to 

improve tree spacing. 

Deadfall 

Treatment 

Mechanical treatment of existing slash to within 18-24 inches of the ground. 

May include but not limited to lopping, chipping, crushing, piling and burning, or 

mastication. 

Decision To Be Made:

After reviewing the proposed action and all alternatives, the environmental analysis, and considering 

additional public comments, the Responsible Official will reach a decision that is in accordance with 

the Purpose of and Need for this project. 

The decision will include, but not be limited to: 

• Whether or not to undertake mechanical vegetation treatments 

• Whether or not to undertake prescribed burning treatments 

• Determining which actions are appropriate 

How You Can Help:

The Hell Canyon District would appreciate any comments or concerns you might have regarding this 

proposal. Your input will help us to identify significant issues related to the proposed action. In order 

for suggestions to be most useful to the planning team, please submit your comments no later than 

thirty days from the date of this letter.

You may send a letter, call or send us an email. We will be considering your comments to develop 

alternatives, design resource protection measures and analyze the possible effects of these actions in a 

draft environmental analysis. We will keep you informed of the status of the Hell Canyon 
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Maintenance Burn project if you submit comments or if you simply request to be apprised of its 

progress. 

All comments received will be considered. Please submit your comments to the address listed below: 

Written comments to: 

Hell Canyon Ranger District 

330 Mt. Rushmore Rd. 

Custer, SD 57730 

Attn: Gwen Lipp 

Phone: 605-673-4853 (ask for Gwen Lipp) 

FAX: 605-673-5461 Attn: Gwen Lipp 

Email: Electronic comments may be sent to comments-rocky-mountain-black-hills-hellcanyon@fs.fed.us. The subject line of e-mailed comments must include “Hell Canyon Maintenance 

Burn”. Electronic comments must be readable in Word, rich text or .pdf format. 

Thank you for your participation! 

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