The National Park Service fire staff at the Northern Great Plains Area has been busy this week in South Dakota. On Monday and Tuesday, along with other federal and state cooperators, they executed the 1,938-acre Norbeck Section 2 prescribed fire. On Friday they accomplished about 200 acres in Jewel Cave National Monument, and on Thursday and Saturday burned two units for 1,199 acres in the Cold Brook project in Wind Cave National Park. They still want to burn a third 1,000-acre unit in the Cold Brook area, but are waiting for a specific smoke dispersion condition near an urban interface area.
The weather this week has been close to ideal for burning in the Black Hills, obviously. The high temperatures have been in the low 70’s, the winds moderate and mostly consistent, and the relative humidity has been in the 20’s.
Has Wind Cave made any progress in getting rid of their acres of invasive hoarhound? Will it be burned?
Chas, they have used herbicides on the hoarhound in the park, and some of the plants are in the areas burned this week, but it is my understanding that prescribed fire is not very effective in eliminating hoarhound. The invasion has practically eliminated prairie dogs in some areas and caused them to relocate elsewhere, along with the endangered black footed ferrets that were reintroduced into the park a number of years ago.