The global diversity of forest-managing organisations (FMOs) could, so far, not be captured in a comprehensive framework or terminology leaving the research field fragmented. A typology of FMOs was developed using dimensions drawn from social economy theory to provide a unifying framework and coherent terminology. FMO types were described according to, (1) the formality of their land ownership and labour relations, (2) their objectives in managing forests, (3) their institutional characteristics, and (4) their participation in the social economy sector. The characteristics and forest management of each FMO type were reviewed. Additionally, public-private and private-sector partnerships between FMOs were classified. This multidimensional framework enables greater precision in the description and comparison of FMOs and their partnerships. Research hypotheses were elaborated to encourage future studies on how the characteristics of FMOs could affect the technical and silvicultural aspects of their forest management.