Local communities in Northern Thailand, including the various ethnic minorities that live in the forested hills areas, have practiced shifting cultivation for many generations and use fire to prepare the land. In general, the land rotation in shifting cultivation is on a 7 year cycle, a cleared plot being cultivated for 1 year, after which it is left fallow for seven years and further forest is cleared. Over the seven year fallow period, trees will begin to re-grow. In the literature it is possible to find many definitions of fire management. One approach is to describe it as follows:
Fire management includes the activities concerned with the protection of people, property, and forest areas from wildfire to enhance ecosystems and economic benefits. It involves early warning, preparedness, prevention, suppression and restoration.