Fire and Forest History at Mount Rushmore National Memorial: Application and Demonstration of Fire Science. Joint Fire Science Program Project 05-2-1-26

摘要

Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills of southwestern South Dakota is known worldwide for its massive sculpture of four of the United States' most respected presidents. However, the sculpture is surrounded by extensive ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest that has not burned in over a century. We compiled dendroecological and forest structural data and used fire behavior modeling to reconstruct the historical fire regime and forest structure and compare these to current conditions. Our overall objective was to provide data needed for an ecological restoration program designed to reduce crown fire hazard and restore ecosystem structure and function across the 517 ha Memorial. The historical fire regime at Mount Rushmore is best characterized as one of low severity surface fires with occasional (> 100 years) patches