San Jerónimo Coatlán is a community located in southern Oaxaca, Mexico, in the mountain range known as the Sierra Sur. It is a rural community of approximately 5,000 people, many of whom identify as Zapotec, one of Mexico's legally recognized Indigenous communities.

All the land within San Jerónimo Coatlán is communally owned, and for the past 20 years, they have collectively managed their forests to produce pine and oak timber. The community's forest management adheres to federal law regarding maximum timber volume allowances, but for the past 10 years, low timber prices and the challenging terrain have prevented the community from investing in forest restoration/reforestation and maintaining a ranger service to control forest fires and pests.