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.