In this study, we examined factors that could potentially influence
deforestation and forest degradation in production forests
managed according to the Myanmar Selection System (MSS). We
found that the common drivers of deforestation and forest degradation
were distance to the nearest town and elevation, which
are related to market availability and accessibility. Logging intensity
and distance to the nearest village influenced forest degradation
but not deforestation. Selective logging in this study area
was not the cause of deforestation; this finding contrasts with
some other studies that have found significant links between selective
logging and deforestation. Our results also indicated that logging
practices of intensity less than the prescribed annual
allowable cut (AAC) do not lead to forest degradation, and that
the most likely determining factors are shifting cultivation and illegal
logging. We conclude that the current setting for the AAC (15–
19 m3 ha1) under the MSS is appropriate, and selective logging itself
leads to neither deforestation nor forest degradation at intensities
at and below the AAC. However, further countermeasures are
urgently needed to ensure that logging practices remain in compliance
with the AAC and to reduce the impacts of shifting cultivation
and illegal timber extraction. These findings and discussions will
assist the pursuit of sustainable forest management in the Bago
Mountain area and other tropical production forests.