RALEIGH, (SGRToday.com) - Prescribed forestry burns of approximately 450 acres will be conducted by the North Carolina Forest Service over the next several weeks in Stokes County's Hanging Rock State Park.

The burns are forestry management tool to be forests healthy and prevent wildfire by removing dangerous buildup of pine needles and trash and reduce invasive species that threaten the area.

Prescribed-burn managers are hoping to conduct the first burn, about 200 acres, in December along the Moore’s Knob Loop Trail. The second burn, about 250 acres, will take place in January or February in the Flat Shoals Mountain area.

Both burns will be dependent on the right weather conditions to minimize the likelihood of the burn escaping containment lines or causing smoke in nearby communities, said Stokes County Ranger Jonathan Young in a statement.