National Forest crews will take advantage of an arctic blast of cold weather forecast this week as they burn slash piles in the Hell Canyon Ranger District.

Crews will begin burning slash piles on 31 acres in the Canyon Timber Sale and on 688 acres in the Nest Timber Sale.

Burning will continue through Friday. These two units are 10 to 13 miles northwest of Moon Campground, 40 miles northwest of Custer.

When a natural ignition does occur, this treatment effectively removes ladder fuel, which reduces the chance of trees torching and starting a wildfire. Removing woody debris on the forest floor improves forest health and helps firefighters because it slows a fire's rate of spread and helps crews effectively manage the incident.

For more information, go to www.fs.fed.us/r2/blackhills.