PIERRE — Custer State Park, in collaboration with South Dakota Wildland Fire, will burn slash piles in the park this winter as long as conditions allow.

The park’s goal is to burn both large machine-made slash piles and smaller hand-built piles. Both the park and SDWF will provide personnel and equipment to conduct and monitor the burns throughout the winter.

The piles are created from left-over unsalable woody debris generated by timber sales and small tree thinning projects. The burns are designed to reduce the amount of fuel available for fires and to lessen the risk of fires starting or spreading. Piles can be expected to continue burning for days after ignited. Firefighters will continually monitor the piles until they are out.

For more information, contact the Custer State Park Office at 605-394-2693 or by email at custerstatepark@state.sd.us.