Wind Cave National Park, S.D. - A crew at Wind Cave National Park will be burning approximately 1,000 slash piles this week in an attempt to reduce excess fuel. The majority of the piles were constructed during the summer of 2009 west of Highway 87 in the vicinity of the Pig Tail Bridge.
Trees were cut and piled to be burned at a later date when the slash fires pose little risk of spreading. Thinning forests is one of the ways managers reduce the threat and intensity of wildfires that could escape the park into developed or sensitive areas.
Smoke from the slash fires will continue for several days after ignition. Visitors are encouraged to use caution while traveling in the area as flames or smoke may be visible from the roadway.
-NPS-
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
