State Forestry thinning area — Project reduces wildfire risk near Newcastle

A timber harvest just outside Newcastle is part of an effort to reduce wildfire risk in the Black Hills while continuing decades of forest management on state trust lands.

The project, managed by the Wyoming State Forestry Division, covered 488 acres in the Beaver Creek State Section about 2 miles south of Mallo Camp. It produced 376 truckloads of forest products and generated about $158,000 in stumpage revenue for the state while reducing hazardous fuels and improving forest conditions, according to a document provided by Dick Terry, Wyoming State Forestry District No. 1 forester.

Matthew Marshall, assistant state forester with the division, said the work reflects how Wyoming manages state trust lands, using activities such as timber sales, grazing leases and windmill leases to generate revenue while maintaining the land over time. Proceeds are deposited into the Common School Permanent Land Fund, which is managed by the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments to support public education statewide, he said. Marshall said he did not know whether the funds directly benefit Weston County school districts.

In northeastern Wyoming, including Weston County, timber sales like this are a regular part of forest management in the Black Hills, where foresters work to balance revenue generation with forest health and public safety concerns.

“This is not out of the norm,” Marshall said. “We try to cut a certain volume of timber up in Weston and Crook counties every year in the Black Hills region for the purpose of generating that trust revenue.”

What distinguishes the Beaver Creek project is its history — and how that history shapes the forest today.

About half of the section burned in a stand-replacing wildfire in the 1960s, killing trees across the area, according to the document. In 1968, Wyoming State Forestry began replanting the burned ground with ponderosa pine seedlings, using inmate labor from Rawlins under the supervision of then-Assistant District Forester Ray Bergquist, Terry said.

Terry said ponderosa pine was selected because it is the dominant species in the Black Hills, making up about 99% of the forest. The species is well adapted to local conditions and produces higher-quality lumber than most alternatives. Trees were planted closely together to ensure successful regeneration.

The project marks the first time Wyoming State Forestry has commercially harvested a stand originally planted by the agency, according to the document.

“This project represents decades of planning, hard work, and partnership — from inmate crews and field foresters to loggers,” a Wyoming State Forestry Division Facebook post said.

Inmate crews of about eight worked alongside forestry staff and operated out of a mobile camp system with trailers for sleeping and cooking, Bergquist said. Crews planted about 225,000 trees across multiple locations that spring, including the Beaver Creek area.

As the stand developed, it became too dense, with trees competing for sunlight, water and nutrients. It was pre-commercially thinned in the early 1990s to about 12-by-12-foot spacing, again using inmate crews, according to the document. That work was among the first projects completed after the Wyoming Conservation Camp opened in Newcastle.

Bergquist said he returned to the site during harvest operations in November 2025 and was surprised by how well the trees had grown.

The 2025 harvest was conducted as a commercial thinning rather than a clear-cut.

Terry said thinning can cost hundreds of dollars per acre when there is no commercial value in the removed trees. A commercial thinning allows the state to generate revenue instead of paying for the work.

Foresters determined that the stand was ready for harvest by evaluating tree growth. They used an increment borer to extract core samples and examine growth rings, Terry said. The tool helps determine whether trees are still growing efficiently or are being limited by competition.

The harvest was designed to create an uneven-aged stand with multiple age classes of trees. Terry said that approach improves resilience because smaller trees are less susceptible to pine beetles, while larger trees are more resistant to wildfire.

The project targeted a residual basal area of about 60 square feet per acre, which Terry said reduces wildfire risk while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing forest.

He said forests in the Black Hills are naturally adapted to fire and tend to regenerate densely after disturbance. However, fire suppression has allowed stands to grow thicker than they would under natural conditions. Mechanical thinning and logging are used to mimic the effects of fire in a controlled way.

“If we don’t take care of it, Mother Nature will,” he said.

Marshall said logging crews removed merchantable trees to meet the stand’s target density while leaving others for continued growth.

About half of the project area consisted of planted trees, while the remainder included naturally regenerated forest, according to the document. The planted trees ranged from 8 to 15 inches in diameter but were relatively short and typically produced only one 16-foot log per tree. Their heavy branching also reduced their value as a stand-alone timber sale. Combining them with higher-quality timber from other parts of the section made the sale economically viable.

Marshall said the project served multiple purposes.

“While it is generating that income for the state trust, we’re also creating a lot better wildlife habitat, and the fuels reduction that occurred from just (the) thinning of those trees was really important for the area,” he said.

According to the document, the project also helps trees defend themselves against mountain pine beetles and allows more sunlight to reach the forest floor, increasing vegetation that supports wildlife habitat and grazing.

About 90% of the harvested logs were used as sawlogs, with the remainder going to posts and other smaller-diameter products, Terry said. Neiman Timber Co., based in Spearfish, South Dakota, purchased the sale and used Majeski Forest Products as the logging contractor.

Matt Lottes, a procurement forester with Neiman Timber Co., said logs from the project were transported to mills in Hulett and Spearfish. The wood was processed into products, including boards, tongue-and-groove paneling and high-quality lumber used in window manufacturing. Smaller material was sent to a post facility in Rapid City for fence posts.

Lottes said fire mitigation is the primary goal of forest management in the region.

Trees grow more slowly in the Black Hills due to climate conditions, he said, so reducing fuel continuity and increasing spacing between trees are priorities. The Beaver Creek project used whole-tree logging methods, with trees skidded to a central landing and processed. Limbs, tops and unusable material are piled for later burning, reducing fuel on the forest floor.

Projects near communities are particularly important, Lottes said.

“When there’s any state or federal ground that’s close to town, whether that’s Newcastle or Sundance or Spearfish, it’s always good to see work getting done close to residences in towns because of the fire risk and trying to protect the forest around where we’re living,” he said.

The stand may be ready for another harvest in about 20 to 35 years, according to the document.

Terry said current conditions in the region are a concern heading into fire season.

“It’s horribly dry. If we don’t get some moisture soon, it’s bad,” he said. “I’m worried.”

Projects like the Beaver Creek thinning are intended to reduce that risk over time by lowering fuel levels and improving forest resilience. For Bergquist, the results reflect decades of work that began after the wildfire and continued through planting, thinning and harvest.

“They’re just like a crop,” he said. “It takes a little longer to grow them …, but they should be treated as a crop and eventually you’ll get a benefit from them.”

“I think it worked out real good,” he said.