Myanmar teak has become world renowned since the mid 18^th Century. Plantation forestry has started in Myanmar since the late 1850’s. However, due to abundance of natural forest resources in those days, the plantation policy has been only to enrich the existing natural forests. During the late 4 decades, the natural teak bearing forest have deteriorated and degraded because of various reasons.

Hence, extensive block-wise planting schemes have later being adopted-to rehabilitate the degraded forest to replenish the logs forest areas, to supplement the production from the natural forests and to stabilize the environment.

The special teak plantation programme has a rotation of 40 years arrange in 8 phases of 5 years each. About 20,000 acres of plantation will be established every year and it will be distributed in 20 plantation centers within the project area. Harvesting will be made by clear cutting at the end of the rotation of 40 years in accordance with the felling-cum-regeneration plan. Apart from intermediate yields from thinnings, an annual sustainable production of over one million cubic tons of teak is estimated as the final yield.

As part of National special teak plantation programme, 10,000 acres have already been planted in Ayeyarwaddy Division between 1998 and 2002. 2,000 acres of teak plantations are to be established each year, with the application of agro-forestry or Taungya method in accordance with the programme. The Taungya method was started in Myanmar in the middle of the 19^th century and the word Taungya has become a world-renowned terminology in forestry science.

For the special teak plantation programme some seed production areas have been selected in this Division and quality seeds have been collected from these areas.

The systematic establishment of special teak plantation is being undertaken as an investment to build up a wood capital for the benefit of future generations.