Prescribed burns are part of the cycle to keep the forest thriving, as odd as that may sound. And one fire this year proved especially beneficial. “The Sequoia National Forest is at risk of wildfire due to heavy fuels buildup, drought, beetle outbreaks, climate change, and other forest stresses,” rangers said. In 2023, the Sequoia National Forest fire-management crews burned more than 5,695 acres of fuel – approximately 10,125 piles were burned across the forest. This resulted in a reduction of over 100 tons/ per acre of hazardous fuels. …The 2023 lightning-caused Rabbit Fire was managed to promote natural fire effects, like those mimicked in prescribed burns. Operations were conducted to bring the fire to healthy parts of the forest. That operation ended on Oct. 22, reducing nearly 3,000 acres of excess fuel that risked the potential for much bigger fires. The footprint around The Rabbit Fire had not seen fire for almost 100 years, officials said.