Fires are a major tool used in clearing the forest for shifting and permanent agriculture and for developing pastures. Fire is a good servant but has a poor master. Fire used responsibly can be a valuable tool in agricultural and forest management but if abused it can be a significant cause of deforestation (Repetto, 1988; Rowe et al., 1992). Based on the data available from 118 countries representing 65 per cent of the global forest area, an average of 19.8 million hectares or one per cent of all forests were reported to be significantly affected
www.intechopen.com
Deforestation: Causes, Effects and Control Strategies
9
each year by forest fires (Anon., 2010). Deforestation due to road pavements in Brazil had also lead to higher incidences of forest fires