Mt. Hood National Forest fire personnel plan to begin burning piles of slash, and if weather and moisture levels remain favorable, those operations could begin as early as Monday and continue through the next several weeks.  Woody debris, also known as slash, is created from post-fire restoration, fuels management, and vegetation projects.  The slash is placed in piles and left to cure before burning during the wet season to reduce the fire footprint.  Allowing time for the vegetative material to dry out will produce less overall smoke as the piles burn hot and clean.  Fire personnel consider many factors before burning, including temperature, moisture levels, wind speed and direction, and relative humidity.  Forest officials say before implementing a burn, weather is assessed, a test fire is lit, and its behavior is monitored to determine whether conditions are safe to continue and will meet burn objectives.