Myanmar’s rich tropical forests havehistorically sustained a sizeable timber industry servingdomestic and international markets. Rates of timberextraction rose significantly after 1990, peaking between2010 and 2015, when controls over forests were weak. Much ofthe remaining forest estate in government reserves,including areas transferred for community forestry, is nowdegraded or encroached, and illicit timber harvestingcontinues, despite a ban on unprocessed log exports andother recent control measures. Ongoing sector reforms andstrong government commitments under the Myanmar Restorationand Rehabilitation Program provide a sound basis for movingaway from an extractive and inefficient timber industry to amore inclusive and integrated model of forest landscaperestoration with greater community ownership and privatesector engagement, to ensure that Myanmar’s forests continueto provide sustainable economic, social, and environmentalbenefits. This requires more diverse management approachesand the collaboration with partners who can expand forestmanagement capacity and coverage, including commercialplantations, community forestry, and engagement with ethnicgroups who aspire recognition of rights to forest undercustomary tenure. It also requires new sources of finance.This Country Forest Note (CFN) summarizes the status ofMyanmar’s forests and the investments and policies relevantto the forest sector. It aims to inform a strategic,programmatic approach for the management of forests, builton an understanding of the cross-sectoral challenges thatthe sector faces. It builds on the Forest Sector Report ofthe Country Environmental Analysis by filing gaps in dataand knowledge, including from new studies on private sectorplantations, woodfuel, and forest tenure. The CFN takes auniquely cross-sectoral perspective that considers how othersectors impact forests, and vice versa, and whereopportunities lie for better cross-sectoral coordination.
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