Despite pledges by Indonesian authorities to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, Indonesian forest cover loss consistently increased over the first 18 years of Indonesian democracy. To determine if forest-related policy demonstrates a paradigm shift toward forest protection, we identify and code a set of 218 national forest-related policy documents passed between 1999 and 2016. We determine whether a paradigmatic change in forest-related policy occurred and the mechanism by which change has or has not taken place through the interpretation of policy citation networks and statistical analysis of temporal relationships between forest-related policy content and change over time. We find that there was a significant increase in the amount of Indonesian forest-related policy from 1999 to 2016 and that it was largely comprised of content that promotes forest protection and redefines the structure and funding for forest-related organizations. These content changes primarily occurred through the process of policy layering, when new policy does not amend or repeal old policy and regulation. We discuss current trends in the regulation of forest territory and flow in Indonesia and find further evidence of policy layering. Thus, although Indonesian forest-related policy demonstrates a paradigm shift, the layering process through which new policy was created allows for interpretable flexibility, which enables continued forest cover loss.