'What can burn? It's stone'
President falsely stated 'no one knew why' event was cancelled in 2019 despite wildfire threat
Alex Woodward New York
Thursday 16 January 2020
President falsely stated 'no one knew why' event was cancelled in 2019 despite wildfire threat
Alex Woodward New York
Thursday 16 January 2020
Donald Trump confirmed that an annual fireworks display will return to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in 2020. ( Scott Olson/Getty Images )
Donald Trump said Mount Rushmore will have a fireworks display on Independence Day, despite potential fire hazards that could threaten nearby forests.
An annual fireworks display was cancelled in 2010 after the National Park Service determined that the fireworks endangered vulnerable forestry in the Black Hills National Forest that had been decimated by pine beetles.
The Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota contains roughly 1,200 acres of forest.
A pine beetle infestation has elevated threats of fire in the area as dead and dying trees act as kindling for wildfires. The display was also cancelled in 2002 during drier-than-usual conditions in the park.
Scientists believe the effects of climate change have enabled a “baby boom” of beetles that thrive in warming temperatures and whose population has strengthened from two, rather than one, reproductive cycles each year.
The beetle also deposits a tree-killing fungus that the insects carry with them as they grow.
During a ceremony marking a trade agreement between the US and China on Wednesday, the president falsely stated that “no one knew why” the fireworks had been cancelled and that “they just said environmental reasons.”
Mr Trump said: “What can burn? It’s stone.”
Last year, Republican South Dakota governor Kristi Noem claimed that “the forest has gained strength and advancements in pyrotechnics allow for a safe fireworks display.”
The governor had reached a deal with US interior secretary David Bernhardt to return fireworks to the park.
On Wednesday, Mr Trump said he “called up our people and within 15 minutes we got” approval for the display.
He said: “We’re going to do a big fireworks display, right? Mount Rushmore ... I’ll try to get out there if I can.”
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