slash-and-burn

American  

[slash-uhn-burn] / ˈslæʃ ənˈbɜrn /

adjective

1. of a method of agriculture used in the tropics, in which forest vegetation is felled and burned, the land is cropped for a few years, then the forest is allowed to reinvade.

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slash-and-burn British  

adjective

1. denoting a short-term method of cultivation in which land is cleared by destroying and burning trees and other vegetation for temporary agricultural use

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Etymology

Origin of slash-and-burn

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

slash-and-burn

Musk promised his investors that he'll focus less of his time on his slash-and-burn government agency in the coming months.

From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2025

In this, the researchers show that measures to combat slash-and-burn techniques significantly reduce the concentration of particulate matter in the air.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 15, 2024

AT&T, after a costly attempt to compete with entertainment colossus Walt Disney, is now on a slash-and-burn mission to return to its roots as a mobile and broadband provider.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 16, 2023

Traditional slash-and-burn methods are used almost every year to clear land in Indonesia for palm oil and pulp and paper plantations that public records show are owned both by domestic and foreign or overseas-listed companies.

From Reuters ● Oct. 6, 2023

The importance of even those slash-and-burn practices decreased from southern New Guinea toward Australia along the island chain.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond