This paper discusses a local level community forestry action (as opposed to a traditional community forestry program) in central Nepal. It highlights the findings of a case study and outlines factors influencing participation in a community forestry action and their relevance to planning project type social/community forestry programs. Attention is drawn to conditions under which local people are more likely to take a collective local forestry action without much impetus from outside sources; why a project-oriented community forestry program has difficulties in starting such a collective action where people from the entire community participate; and what we can learn about the dynamics of people's involvement from this case of community forestry action and the implications for planned community forestry projects.