On 13 November 2025, at the Chiang Mai Provincial Hall, the Deputy Governor of Chiang Mai, chaired the first meeting of the Integrated Committee on Forest Fire and PM2.5 Pollution Prevention and Mitigation (No. 1/2025). Representatives from relevant government agencies attended both in person and via video conference.
The meeting reviewed the draft provincial announcement on the designation of fuel management zones and open burning control zones in Chiang Mai. This year, the province plans to strictly prohibit all forms of open burning from 1st February to 31st May 2026, including the burning of waste and tree branches within community areas. Authorities will take decisive legal action against anyone found violating or neglecting the order.
The draft announcement aligns with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Notification on Measures for the Management, Prevention, and Mitigation of PM2.5 Pollution in the Agricultural Sector (No. 2), which bans all agricultural burning. Farmers found to have burned crop residues or fields will be ineligible for government disaster relief or agricultural support from 1st April 2026 to 31st March 2028.
However, farmers who can demonstrate that burning is unavoidable must first register via the Fire-D application, so that authorities can assess and manage fuel burning appropriately.
