Winter drought fans fire fears

By AP and Journal staff | Saturday, November 16, 2002

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RAPID CITY -- Federal and state officials are preparing for what many believe will be another season of devastating fires in the Black Hills National Forest.

Because of continued dry weather, various agencies are adding manpower, strengthening the air attack and improving communications.

The Grizzly Gulch, Little Elk and Battle Creek fires last summer scorched large areas of grassland and timber throughout the Black Hills.

Dave Thom, resources officer for the U.S. Forest Service, said another dry winter won't seal the fate of the Black Hills. But if it's dry next spring and if more tree thinning isn't permitted, the outlook could be bleak, he said.

Most fires in the national forest are started by lightning and are extinguished quickly, Thom said.

John Twiss, Black Hills National Forest supervisor, worries that the drought will continue the recent pattern of spawning several large fires annually. The problem is made worse by an overgrown forest, he said.

"Our forests are very thick. Much thicker than they've ever been," Twiss said.

If large forest fires continue to occur, officials may need to develop new ways of coping with them, he said.

"We are not geared for that many fires of that intensity," Twiss said. "We may need to change our strategy to improve our chances against big fires."

State wildland-fire coordinator Joe Lowe said fire-fighting efforts in the Black Hills will become more manageable next year when a $1.6 million dispatch center is fully operational at the old Rapid City airport terminal.

State and federal officials will be housed at the center, making it easier to coordinate initial attacks on fires, he said.

More than 137,000 acres of Black Hills National Forest land has burned in the past three years, according to Rick Hudson, public-affairs officer for Black Hills National Forest.

This year so far, 168 fires have burned 13,892 acres of national forest land. In 2001, 132 fires burned 30,568 acres. In 2000, 204 fires burned 92,609 acres.

There were three major fires this year. The Grizzly Gulch Fire near Deadwood burned 11,589 acres of federal, state and private land June 29-July 7. The Little Elk Fire near Piedmont burned 673 acres of federal and private land from July 16-20. The Battle Creek Fire near Rockerville and Keystone burned 12,450 acres of federal and private land Aug. 16-25.