Box in a book with a collective output of 59 authors:
Fire is the least expensive and most broadly used method of clearing land and converting forest biomass into soil nutrients for pastures and crops in the tropics. Fire is also used to control weeds and to reinvigorate palatable pasture grasses. Even if beneficial for farmers over the short run, intensification of deforestation and burning impose long-term costs on individuals and society.
Alencar, A. and Mello, R. 2009. Forest fires in the Amazon: short-term individual benefits versus long-term societal costs. In: Realising REDD+: National strategy and policy options. Editors Angelsen, A., M. Brockhaus, M. Kanninen, E. Sills, W.D. Sunderlin, and S. Wertz-Kanounnikoff. Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor, Indonesia. 316 p.