Decentralisation of resource management is presumed to result in more effective and efficient management of resources and more benefits for the people who live closest to resources. These benefits are however realised if the local authorities in decentralised resource management regimes have enough powers and are downwardly accountable to the local populations. This paper, based on empirical study of two community forests in Ghana, provides insights on the opportunities traditional local authorities offer for achieving effective decentralisation of forest management. By analyzing the responsiveness and accountability characteristics of the traditional authorities in the management of the community forests and comparing them to that of State-instituted local resource management authorities, the paper concludes that the traditional authority system offers greater opportunity for achieving locally accountable and responsive forest management in Ghana.