In the absence of a policy and a framework for the implementation of community forestry projects in Quebec, many initiatives have been abandoned or suspended in the past decades. However, some territorial communities such as Regional County Municipalities (MRCs) and municipalities are attempting to innovate in community forestry. This article provides an overview of recent policies related to community forestry on public lands in Quebec while highlighting contrasted regional trajectories. Drawing on the notion of institutional bricolage, the authors ask the following question : what forms of institutional innovation are being deployed to ensure the implementation of community forestry initiatives ? To do so, two distinct cases of community forestry are reviewed : one based in the MRC des Laurentides and the other in the MRC de Maria-Chapdelaine. These cases illustrate two trajectories in community forestry, namely formal agreements allowed within the existing legal framework and informal agreements devised between local stakeholders. Those cases provide a better understanding of institutional arrangements which can lead to the emergence of community forestry projects congruent with the interests and considerations of local stakeholders. The MRC de Maria-Chapdelaine case especially demonstrates the high potential of informal approaches which correspond to institutional bricolage, a means to innovate in forest co-management for the implementation of community forestry initiatives.