ABSTRACT
Forest policy in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) had been intermittent throughout the course of modern history because of a long period of war and the country's mountainous topography, which inhibited development of a transportation network. Institutionalization of forest management began in 1989, after the First National Forestry Conference, which addressed the problem of forest degradation and called for sustainable management as part of the Tropical Forestry Action Plan.
