Black Hills National Forest, Northern Hills Ranger District, South Dakota, West Rim Project Area

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The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact statement on a proposal to implement multiple resource management actions within the West Rim Project Area to implement the amended Black Hills National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan. The West Rim Project Area covers approximately 43,028 acres of National Forest System land and approximately 10,129 acres of interspersed private land southwest of Spearfish, South Dakota. a 1/2 mile buffer around all parcels of private land is identified as Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). Proposed actions include a combination of vegetation and fuels treatments to reduce fire hazard, reduce mountain pine beetle susceptibility, and improve vegetative diversity. The proposed action includes approximately 6,800 acres of commercial thinning, 3,500 acres of overstory removal, 13,700 acres of pre-commercial thinning, 2,300 acres of commercial seed cuts, 470 acres of fuel reduction treatments, and up to 13,800 acres of prescribed burning. Approximately 25 miles of new road construction would be necessary to carry out the proposed vegetation management actions.