News Release

Winter Prescribed Burn To Reduce Slash Piles

Date: December 13, 2021
Contact: Blaine Kortemeyer, 605-574-3170

KEYSTONE, S.D. – Mount Rushmore National Memorial will be implementing prescribed burns this winter. When the winter conditions are right, the National Park Service will be burning these accumulated slash piles left over from forest thinning activities.  

Visitors may see hand crews working in the forest, burning slash piles or experience drifting smoke and haze throughout the burn period. Natural barriers within the prescribed section ensure a clear and safe operational area. The prescription includes burning residual slash piles, removal of needle accumulation and minimal ground cover. 

Mount Rushmore National Memorial has successfully completed several fuel-reducing projects in the past several years attempting to provide a means to stop or slow the growth of any unwanted wildfire. These projects have included thinning, through prescribed fire or mechanical removal, overcrowded stands of timber near critical structures and areas within the memorial.