An Analysis of Harvest and Assessing Maturity for Sustainability in Myanmar Teak Forests

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the human disturbance tendency of Myanmar teak forests, and to propose an index for sustainable forest management in the study site. Enumeration data providing information on growth of teak forests in Pyu Kun Reserve Forest before and after harvest were used to demonstrate the potential use of maturity as a yield regulation index for the sustainable management of natural teak forests in Myanmar. Data from 64 compartments were classified into seven girth at breast height (gbh) classes, and subjected into four time series corresponding to periods before and after the first and second harvests to investigate the general disturbance tendency of the teak forests. Results of the study revealed that previous harvesting activities were unsustainable as almost all of the large trees were cut. Significant disturbance was also noted on trees in the smaller girth classes between the time period after the first harvest and before the second harvest. Under the condition of no legal harvest at this time period, the disturbance was attributed to illegal logging by relatively poor people. Maturity index, which was simply derived from the number of trees and required year for growing up to lower limit gbh at gbh classes, could assess the impacts of harvesting and disturbances to the sustainability of teak forests in Myanmar.