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Trees and forests in developing countries are primarily valued for timber, and their importance for minor forest products have been largely forgotten nowadays. In Myanmar, Acacia catechu (L.f.) Willd. forests are still treasured by catechu producers for the extraction of tannin (catechu). However, those forests have been controlled by the state to achieve sustained yields since colonial times. Previous studies have examined the historical conflicts among producers and foresters that have resulted from strict colonial forest management. However, literature on the socioeconomic conditions surrounding catechu production in the postcolonial era is lacking. Herein, we explore the demographics of catechu producers, their household characteristics and their current production situation under state control. This study draws on household surveys, focus group discussions, and informal interviews conducted in 2019 in a township in the Magway Region. The results revealed that catechu production was a male-dominant, farmer-centric, off-farm-income-generating, interhousehold, and seasonal activity. The observed property ownership gap between households involved in catechu production and those not involved was found to be narrower than expected, indicating that catechu production may play a wealth-equalizing role in the study community. The technical aspects of traditional catechu production are currently the same as those in the past. During the production season, in response to the limited resource availability resulting from state forest control, the catechu producers in the study community temporarily migrate to neighboring townships. Thus, considering social equity, poverty alleviation, and sustainability of catechu production, the present findings suggest that state forest control should be reconsidered.

Acacia catechu (Sha)-bearing forests are the primary sources of cutch, a tannin extract from the heartwood of Sha trees. Sha forests in Myanmar are managed for cutch production, and tree harvesting for cutch is regulated by an official diameter limit (ODL, 30 cm DBH [diameter at breast height]). We explored sustainable Sha forest management for cutch production through stand inventory surveys and informal interviews with locals and forest managers. We compared Sha forests with six different official harvest histories and assessed seedlings and saplings as well as the size and species of harvested stumps and remaining trees. We found that the forest understory was disturbed by surface fire, and all Sha seedlings and saplings < 1.7 m in height showed post-fire marks. We observed a regeneration gap between 1.7 m and 2.7 m, which might indicate the flame height of the surface fire. The "illegal" harvest exceeded the official harvest; only 5% of the harvested stumps were found to be larger than the ODL. Local harvesting of cutch appeared to be limited by the stem diameter required for heartwood formation (15 cm DBH). Stump data revealed that the forests were utilized not only for cutch but also for other purposes, including fuel and timber. Despite fire and local harvesting, local forest utilization patterns appear to be reasonable, although they are illegal. Implementing fire control and community management of forests along with clear definition of property rights could help in sustainably managing Sha forests for cutch production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]