Nearly a year after the state's worst wildfire, South Carolina forest managers and landowners have asked legislators to give them more protection from lawsuits when they intentionally set fires to reduce debris that could fuel wildfires and inadvertently damage property. There are 13 million acres of timberland in the state and about 1 million acres a year should have prescribed burns to cut down on the chances of wildfires or their intensity when they occur. For now, only about 440,000 acres yearly are burned, partly because of lawsuit fears. Georgia and Florida currently have laws that offer more protection from lawsuits.