National Fire Plan Success Story

Nature Conservancy and Dakota Prairie National Grasslands
Northern Region, U.S. Forest Service, North Dakota
National Fire Plan - Restoration
2008

In the spring of 2008 the U.S. Forest Service-Dakota Prairie Grasslands and The Nature Conservancy-North Dakota Chapter, entered into a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in managing prescribed fire activities on the Sheyenne National Grassland and adjacent Conservancy lands. This agreement provides capability for the Dakota Prairie Grasslands and The Nature Conservancy to coordinate and assist one another with the use of prescribed fire for restoring, maintaining and conserving the tall grass prairie.

The Sheyenne National Grassland covers approximately 70,000 acres in southeastern North Dakota and is the largest tall grass prairie in public ownership. The land owned by the Conservancy consists of the Brown Ranch, which is 1,531 acres in size, and Pigeon Point, which is 572 acres in size. These areas are remnants of an ecosystem that once covered over 16 million acres in the northern Great Plains. The northern tall grass prairie is now one of the most endangered ecosystems in North America. With a historic fire return interval of 3 to 5 years, fire is a key disturbance factor in restoring and maintaining the tall grass prairie ecosystem.

The Nature Conservancy provided qualified fire personnel, fire engines, and specialized equipment to assist the U.S. Forest Service with burning over 6,700 acres on the Sheyenne National Grassland this past year. Nature Conservancy personnel were given prescribed fire training opportunities and gained experience working on large prescribed burns with interagency cooperators such as smokejumpers, the National Park Service, North Dakota Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. Plans for next year include continued sharing of personnel and equipment, and implementation of cross boundary prescribed burns that benefit both US Forest Service and Conservancy lands.

It is believed this is the first agreement of this type between The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service. Rob Self, a land steward for The Nature Conservancy-North Dakota Chapter, was recently awarded the Prairie Partner Award by the U.S. Forest Service for his support and assistance with these efforts. The cooperation between The Nature Conservancy and U.S. Forest Service greatly enhances the ability to apply beneficial fire in the tall grass prairie ecosystem.

Contact: Maure Sand, Fire Management Officer (701) 250-4463.