The understanding of interaction between rural people and forest products is one of the challenges faced while balancing forest product utilization with forest conservation in Myanmar. This study aims to contribute an effort to such challenges by analyzing the interaction of rural households with forest products in Myanmar. Data were collected using face-to-face questionnaire interviews with 218 households and conducting a rapid tree inventory across 132 circular random plots in selected rural communities around four townships of the Katha District. The empirical results indicate that the 95% of rural households were entirely dependent on forest products. The survey documented 13 main forest products and 54 tree species, which were primarily used for household consumption. Low-income households compared with medium-and high-income households with low educational level ( < 0.05) and a small agricultural land area ( < 0.05) were found to be more forest-dependent households. Illegal logging, mining, fuelwood collection, slash-and-burn agriculture, and the establishment of forest plantations were reported as the main causes of forest products depletion. Findings from this study, although at a microlevel, can be used by the Myanmar Forestry Department as baseline information to improve community-based forest management activities.

The anatomical features of tree rings reflect information about past climatic conditions, and the variation of rainfall patterns from year to year is reflected in tree-ring width pattern. We studied the relationship between tree-ring width of teak (Tectona grandis L. f.) and weather conditions at different age classes of two distinct weather condition areas located in Bago Yoma Range, Myanmar. The sample plot was 1.0 ha of each investigated plantation and we used a computer-compatible tree-ring measuring program (Measure J2X) to measure the tree ring, and the Thornthwaite method for calculating annual moisture index. The average radial increment of 25-, 20-and 15-year-old plantations was 6.2 mm yr À1 while that of the 9-, 10-and 12-year-old plantations was 7.6 mm yr À1 . We found that the tree ring was positively correlated with the annual total rainfall in all plantations but was not significant. However, it showed coherent patterns with the chronologies of standardized tree-ring width and annual moisture index in both studied sites. Overall, young age plantations were found to be more highly affected by the changes in the annual total rainfall than older plantations by height. On the other hand, temperature was found to be related negatively to tree ring for mature stage plantations while positively for young plantations.