Abstract Forestry in lowland Bolivia has taken great strides in the past few years, progressing from a virtual absence of management to a system of regulated management planning. Nearly 1 million hectares of natural forests are now certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. To ensure sustainable forest management, however, Bolivian foresters need to go beyond the basics of planned logging and apply silvicultural treatments to secure regeneration, improve tree growth, and maintain stand quality. This change is a tall order in a developing country battered by a deep economic recession, where timber-mining interests are still powerful and silviculturists are in short supply.