Matt Fridell smiles as he beats the bass drum with the
Burning Beetle drum corps
Burning Beetle , now more than a decade-long tradition , brings people from the Black Hills and beyond together each winter for a day of reckoning with environmental change , artistry and of course , fiery fun . The event features speakers on enviromental topics pertinent to the area , a variety show , a bug ( pub ) crawl with live musical entertainment and of course , the raucous burning of a giant wooden pine beetle .
The mountain pine beetle is a native insect to the Black Hills , and infestations usually come in cycles , although they are always present on some level . Larger infestations , like ocurred in the Black Hills from the early 2000s to 2010s , can have major impacts on the forest . That most recent outbreak impacted nearly half a million acres of forest and killed millions of trees .
Father and son Hank and Matt Fridell have been involved with Burning Beetle from the very beginning and recalled not only the environmental disturbance called by the beetle infestation , but also the emotional disturbance .
“ The community was just upset . People were looking for somebody to blame . These things happen through no fault of things that we do . It just showed up . We werent ready for it emotionally ,” said Hank .
He remembered how badly the Black Elk Wilderness was hit — an area popular with outdoor recreationists because of its natural beauty . With the infestation , that beauty was changing and quickly .
“ That area was just devastated up around the needles . It was just horrible ,” said Hank
“[ The forest ] is a big part of the identity of the area , and it was changing . At the time , you couldn ’ t tell how much was going to change . Like was it all going to be gone ?” Matt said . “ I was a little worried about some of the trees I knew . Some of them had been around my whole life ,” said Matt .
That ’ s when local Linde Manlove became inspired by an art installation down in Colorado . She came back to Custer and said shared the idea to have an artistic response to the beetle outbreak .
Those initial meetings resulted in the very first Bark Beetle Blues events , later to become the annual Burning Beetle . The first year of festivities featured an event in every season , and eventually culminating in the burning of the beetle the following winter .
“ It sinked when we talked about a year of events that would culminate in a big celebration with fire . That just felt right to everybody ,” said Matt .
In the first Bark Beetle Blues event , one of the activities helped people to process the emotional aspect of losing the forest by identifying where they were in the stages of grief . We had this giant poster , and everyone that walked in would get a sticker to mark where they were in the stages of grief — whether they were totally fine with it all the way down to devastation or anger . That ended up being part of a research project done by a couple of universities ,” said Hank .
When the infestation came to his backyard , Hank was left with quite a mess . Not only do the beetles kill the trees , but they prefer to target the biggest , oldest ones — the trees people are usually most fond of . And then , you ’ re left with a dead tree on your property to deal with . That gave Hank the “ bark beetle blues .”
“ Of course , everybody thought they were well over it , but I wasn ’ t . I was still cutting firewood from the stuff . I have no idea how many dozens of cords of wood we split form the property ,” said Hank .
A lot of people , it turns out , also experienced the same feeling . And recently , the Burning Beetle event has ramped up its informative mission — for a lot of people moving to the Black Hills , they just aren ’ t aware of the beetles , the damage they cause , or the steps needed to manage your piece of the forest should an infestation arrive at your backyard .
On the Thursday before the 2024 burn , they also offered a series of speakers meant to give people a greater understanding of their natural environment . A packed house of people came to hear speakers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , the Black Hills National Forest , and
12 Down Country Roads January / February 2025