The purpose of this hazardous fuels reduction project is to implement coordinated, cross-boundary wildfire risk mitigation treatments on non-federal lands adjacent to national forest system lands

The South Dakota Department of Public Safety, SD Wildland Fire Division, received a $150,000 Project Grant awarded on September 4, 2025, under the State & Private Forestry Hazardous Fuel Reduction Program (CFDA 10.697), administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, Region 2 - Rocky Mountain Region. The grant funds coordinated, cross-boundary wildfire risk mitigation treatments on non-federal lands adjacent to National Forest System lands in South Dakota through September 3, 2030. This project targets the wildland-urban interface, where local communities face elevated wildfire risk due to proximity to national forests and grasslands with ongoing and planned fuels treatment projects.

The funded activities support hazardous fuel reduction initiatives designed to restore fire-adapted landscapes and reduce catastrophic wildfire risk. Typical mitigation approaches under this program include mechanical thinning, prescribed burning, mastication, hand treatments, and vegetation management, which may be complemented by community education, wildfire protection planning, landscape restoration, and technical assistance to landowners. By implementing these treatments on non-federal lands in coordination with adjacent federal management activities, the project strengthens community resilience and promotes landscape-scale wildfire mitigation across multiple jurisdictions and land ownerships.

This work targets the wildland-urban interface, where local communities are most at risk from wildfire due to proximity to national forests and grasslands with ongoing and planned fuels treatment projects.