Rapid City, S.D. (KELO) -- Fire season is underway in South Dakota, and prescribed burns and slash piles are being cleaned up. Over this past season, wildland crews built up several mitigation efforts in preparation for this fire season. 2 arrested in rape, abuse case Burn or slash p iles are piles of debris like branches and fallen small trees that are burned to manage fuel loads and reduce fire hazards. The final day for burn piles is March 31st, as they will need to be completed by then in the Black Hills area. "But the fact that the lateral fuels and the crown canopies are farther apart, what that does do is it does allow the fire to stay on the ground. So even though we weren't able to get the piles burned it still does lower fire behavior around those homes," SD Wildland Fire Director Jay Wickham said. One of the reasons for the burning season ending is how little moisture is on the ground as temperatures start to pick up, however mitigation efforts remain strong. Fire dangers and risks will also be increased until we start getting more rainfall. Now fire crews want to make sure that their burn piles are completely out as it is the best way they can help stop unexpected fires from starting out in the Black Hills. This dry winter brings with it some precautions. "Until we get green grass going, all the fuels are available to burn the grass. So we could have a rapid spread of fire because the grass is available to burn. What it means, the long term drying over winter is our larger fuel. The larger diameter fuels, those start to become available to burn," Wickham said. This means everyone should use extra caution when it comes to fire risk in the Black Hills this spring. South Dakota Wildland Fire also requires people burning slash piles leading up to the 31st to make sure that they are completely extinguished before April hits. ...read more read less