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Today, the commons represent an important field of study in the social sciences. The subject has been gaining momentum since economist Elinor Ostrom’s work was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2009. Several disciplines - law, philosophy, political science, history, economics and sociology - are taking up this research subject, each giving a specific meaning to the commons. In this article, we trace the emergence of this intellectual proliferation, focusing on the issue of the forest commons. In addition to existing approaches to the commons, I demonstrate the value of interpreting the commons through the prism of geography, i. e. through the spatialization of experiences of the commons, as well as through a territorial approach to communal living. I use the case of two ancient forest commons, Dabo and La Teste de Buch, to show what, in Ostrom’s sense, would constitute forest commons in France. On this basis, I propose a broader definition of forests as commons. Indeed, the commons are not dead stars that rise from their ashes in the wake of ecological emergencies. This theoretical work is all the more important for French forests, as they are the focus of high public expectations and growing social and political conflicts. Acknowledging forests as commons will help us to protect them more effectively.