The analysis of the 1989 Landsat TM imageries has indicated that Myanmar is still endowed with one of the most extensive natural forest covers in the world. 43% of its area is under closed forests and another 30% under woodlands. The status of forest cover as of 1989 is as given in table-2.
Table 2 - Forest Cover in Myanmar
Land Category |
Area (Km2) |
Percent |
Closed forests |
293,269 |
43.34 |
Degraded forests |
50,968 |
7.53 |
Forests affected by shifting cultivation |
154,389 |
22.82 |
Water bodies |
13,327 |
2.01 |
Non-forest |
164,600 |
24.30 |
Total |
676,553 |
100.00 |
Source: Forestry Fact sheet, 1993.
Closed and degraded forests, which can be considered as actual forest cover constitute 344,237 km2 or approximately 51% of the total area of the country.
The assessment of the change in forest cover conducted in 1990 revealed that the actual forest cover had decreased at an annual rate of 220,000 ha or 0.64% of the actual forested area during a period of 14 years from 1975 to 1989. This change was mainly due to shifting cultivation, illicit cutting and encroachment for agriculture purposes.
Myanmar is rich in forest resources. There are 1,347 species of big trees, 741 species of small trees, 1,696 species of shrubs, 96 species of bamboo, 36 species of rattan and 841 species of orchids so far recorded (Anon, 1993). Out of the 2,088 tree species, 85 have been recognized and accepted as producing multiple-used timber of premium quality. Studies on the properties and utilization of the lesser used timber species are being carried out, and their utility extensively promoted. The objective is to increase commercial production and reduce the pressure on the premium quality timber. Forest area of the country has been estimated by forest types as shown in Table-3.
Table 3 - Forest Area by Types of Forests
No |
Types of Forests |
Area (Hectares) |
% |
1. |
Tidal, beach and dune, and swamp forests |
1,376,900 |
4 |
2. |
Tropical evergreen forests |
5,507,800 |
16 |
3. |
Mixed deciduous forests |
13,425,300 |
39 |
4. |
Dry Forests |
3,442,400 |
10 |
5. |
Deciduous dipterocarp forest |
1,721,200 |
5 |
6. |
Hill and temperate evergreen forest |
8,950,100 |
26 |
Total |
34,423,700 |
100 |
Source: Kyaw Tint (1995)
The forest area may also be divided by type of vegetation and productivity as shown in Table-4.
Table 4 - Forest Area by Type of Vegetation and Productivity
Type of vegetation |
Productive forest ('000 ha) |
Unproductive forest (' 000 ha) |
Total ('000 ha) |
Closed broad- leafed |
20,655 |
11,908 |
32,563 |
Mangrove |
382 |
403 |
785 |
Bamboo |
963 |
- |
963 |
Conifers |
113 |
- |
113 |
Total |
22,113 |
12,311 |
34,424 |
Source: Kyaw Tint (1995)
The volume of growing stock of timber has been estimated as shown in Table-5.
Table 5 - Volume of Growing Stock of Timber
Type of Vegetation |
productive forest |
Unproductive forest |
Grand total | ||
Total (mil.m 3) |
m3/ha |
Total (mil.m3) |
m3 /ha |
mil.m3 | |
Closed broad-leaved |
1,859 |
90.0 |
357 |
30 |
2,216 |
Mangrove |
12 |
30.6 |
4 |
10 |
16 |
Conifers |
16 |
141.6 |
- |
- |
16 |
Total |
1,887 |
361 |
2,248 | ||
Source: Kyaw Tint (1995)
The table shows that the forests in Myanmar contain some 2.2 billion cubic metres of standing growing stock of timber. Allowing a conservative growth rate of 1.5 m3/ha/yr in the productive closed broad-leaved forest, the total annual growth could mount to about 31 million cubic metes. Of the commercially exploitable production forests 103090 km2 (15.2% of the country) are reserved forests while 240,677 km2 (35.6%) are other forests. Apart from the production forests there are some 7,731 km2 of protected forests covering 1.14 % of the country.
Attempt on raising teak plantation using taungya (agroforestry) method was first made in 1856. The success with this method led to a wide spread planting of teak, Acacia catechu, and Xylia kerri and by 1930, a total of over 19,000 ha had been planted. At the depth of the slump in 1932-33, changes in plantation policy resulted from findings that the danger from bee hole borer was three times as serious in plantation as in natural forests and that it was not profitable to grow timber in plantations for export. The Government thus ordered to plant teak and Xylia kerri only for domestic use and not for export.
However, in 1937-38 the Government again revised the policy to increase the establishment of plantations to 600 ha per annum. That was again checked during World War II and the insurrection period and gathered momentum again only in 1963. Up to that period, only a few thousand hectares of manageable plantations were established annually. These plantations were formed more on a compensatory nature in scattered small plots of approximately 20 ha. They were treated as natural forest after attaining the age of 40 years.
Extensive forest plantations in large blocks were formed commencing from 1972, and further large scale plantation programme was launched starting from 1980. It started with a target of 16,190 ha annually to reach a target of 36,420 with the rate of increase of 4,050 ha annually. It reached a peak of 36,340 ha in 1985. However, this was considered to be too ambitious and unmanageable and currently is limited at 32,380 ha per annum. A total of 543,288 ha had been planted up till 1995. (See Appendices 1(a) and 1(b) for details.)
Bamboo grows abundantly throughout the country either mixed with tree species or in pure stands. Pure stands of Kayin-wa(Mellocanna bambusoides) stretch over and area of about 8,000 km2 on the Rakhine mountain range with an estimated growing stock of 21 million metric tons. Tanintharyi Division also contains pure stands of wa-ya (Oxytenanthera nigrociliata) over an area of some 1,800 km2 with an estimated growing stock of 6 million tons. The bamboos in the Bago Division are of mixed-forest type consisting of a number of different species of which kyathaung-wa (Bambusa polymorpha), Tin-wa (Cephalostachym pergraule) and Myin-wa (Dendrocalamus strictus) are commercially important. Of the 96 known species of bamboo only about 13 species are considered commercially important so far.
