diff --git a/gui/dialogs/rendering.xml b/gui/dialogs/rendering.xml
index 4fe0d7e13..7759c24c7 100644
--- a/gui/dialogs/rendering.xml
+++ b/gui/dialogs/rendering.xml
@@ -363,6 +363,37 @@
 					</enable>
 				</text>
 
+				<checkbox>
+					<row>5</row>
+					<col>0</col>
+					<colspan>3</colspan>
+					<halign>left</halign>
+					<label>Simplify far terrain (increases scenery load times)</label>
+					<name>simplify-far</name>
+					<property>/sim/rendering/terrain/simplifier/enabled-far</property>
+					<binding>
+						<command>dialog-apply</command>
+						<object-name>simplify-far</object-name>
+					</binding>
+				</checkbox>
+
+				<checkbox>
+					<row>6</row>
+					<col>0</col>
+					<colspan>3</colspan>
+					<halign>left</halign>
+					<label>Simplify all terrain (increases scenery load times)</label>
+					<name>simplify-near</name>
+					<property>/sim/rendering/terrain/simplifier/enabled-near</property>
+					<enable>
+						<property>/sim/rendering/terrain/simplifier/enabled-far</property>
+					</enable>
+					<binding>
+						<command>dialog-apply</command>
+						<object-name>simplify-near</object-name>
+					</binding>
+				</checkbox>
+
 			</group>
 
 			<button>
diff --git a/preferences.xml b/preferences.xml
index 8f8892c16..3a222f5de 100644
--- a/preferences.xml
+++ b/preferences.xml
@@ -261,7 +261,16 @@ Started September 2000 by David Megginson, david@megginson.com
 			</osg-displaysettings>
             <osg-notify-level type="string" userarchive="y">warn</osg-notify-level>
 			<cache type="bool">true</cache>
-            <use-vbos type="bool">false</use-vbos>
+			<use-vbos type="bool">false</use-vbos>
+			<terrain>
+				<simplifier>
+					<enabled-near type="bool">false</enabled-near>
+					<enabled-far type="bool">false</enabled-far>
+					<ratio type="double">0.01</ratio>
+					<max-error type="double">3000.0</max-error>
+					<max-length type="double">1000.0</max-length>
+				</simplifier>
+			</terrain>
 		</rendering>
 		<model-hz type="int">120</model-hz>
 		<navdb>
@@ -366,7 +375,7 @@ Started September 2000 by David Megginson, david@megginson.com
 			<path n="1">Huds/default.xml</path>
 			<path n="2">Huds/NTPS.xml</path>
 			<path n="3">Huds/minimal.xml</path>
-			
+
 			<!-- new HUD -->
 			<visibility n="1" type="bool">false</visibility>
 			<!-- new HUD -->
@@ -704,7 +713,7 @@ Started September 2000 by David Megginson, david@megginson.com
             <click-shows-tooltip type="bool" userarchive="y">true</click-shows-tooltip>
             <tooltip-delay-msec type="int" userarchive="y">800</tooltip-delay-msec>
             <tooltips-enabled type="bool" userarchive="y">true</tooltips-enabled>
-            
+
             <drag-sensitivity type="double" userarchive="y">1.0</drag-sensitivity>
             <invert-mouse-wheel type="bool" userarchive="y">false</invert-mouse-wheel>
             <skip-flight-controls-mode type="bool" userarchive="y">false</skip-flight-controls-mode>