Grasslands and savannas are landscapes of grass and scattered trees that occur throughout the world. Tropical savannas can be almost treeless grasslands or denser woodlands—as long as the canopy cover of the trees is not so dense that it shades out the grass and they are in the tropics.

Tropical savannas are a major reservoir of biodiversity – some areas of tropical savanna may have a similar biodiversity level to tropical rainforest.

Fire is an integral part of the natural and cultural cycles of savannas with many experiencing fires every three or four years.

Grasslands are used by pastoralists to provide grazing for sheep and cattle that provide a large proportion of Australia's primary production for domestic consumption and exports. Fires in these landscapes can have severe economic consequences in terms of property, stock and fencing losses.

Savanna fires generally move at speeds of 0.1–2 metres per second. Fuels loads are generally in the range of 2–8 tonnes per hectare (t/ha), with fine fuel consumption rates of 50–100 percent. Fire intensities in general range from 500 to 10,000 kilowatts per metre (kW/m), and rarely exceed 20,000 kW/m. In southern Australian eucalypt forests where fuel has accumulated to near maximum levels (in excess of 30 t/ha), fire intensities can be as high as 50,000– 100,000 kW/m.