Argentina is currently one of the top ten deforesting countries in the world. However, the geographic distribution of deforestation is not uniform across the national territory. A few provinces account for massive deforestation, while others have experienced almost none. Why is there such variation in tree cover loss among the provinces? This study examines the subnational variation in deforestation based on how different types of subnational government alliances—progressive or regressive—either resist or support national government policies for protecting native forests. The study presents a quantitative analysis of original panel data for Argentina from 2001-2021 and a comparative study of two provinces in the Chaco Park bioregion, which exhibit significant variation both between them and over time in native forest loss. The conclusions explore some comparative implications and unresolved questions.