Abstract: Forest land management holds a core strategic position in safeguarding national ecological security and achieving sustainable development. However, the current forest land management system is hampered by “cross-cutting, overlapping, and conflicting” challenges arising from the parallel operation of multiple frameworks, including the public welfare vs. commercial forest classification, forest land protection grades, nature reserve zoning, and the “three zones and three lines” of the national spatial plan, which constrains governance effectiveness. This paper systematically reviews the historical evolution of China’s forest land management, analyzes its current status and issues under the co-existence of these systems, and explores new management demands in the new era. The study proposes that a new, clearly-structured framework for classified forest land management should be established, guided by the national spatial plan and deeply integrated. This classification system aims to unify management standards, resolve institutional conflicts, and achieve precise, synergistic, and law-based management of forest land resources, thereby promoting the coordinated harmony between ecological protection and socio-economic development.