Matanzas State Forest, Protected forest area in St. Johns County, Florida.

Matanzas State Forest is a protected woodland area in St. Johns County near St. Augustine, featuring pine stands, cypress and bay swamps, and hardwood areas. The forest borders the Matanzas River on one side, where estuarine marshes meet the upland forest types.

The state acquired this land in 2003, converting former timber plantations into a managed conservation area. This shift marked the transition from commercial timber operations to environmental protection in the region.

The forest takes its name from the Matanzas River, which forms its eastern boundary. The river's name comes from the Spanish word for slaughter, linked to the 1565 massacre of French Huguenots by Spanish forces under Pedro Menéndez de Avilés near the Matanzas Inlet. Visitors today walk between the river and the pine flatwoods.

The forest lies between U.S. 1 on the west, State Road 206 on the north, the Matanzas River on the east and Faver-Dykes State Park on the south, so access roads enter from those sides. It is co-managed by the Florida Forest Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the St. Johns River Water Management District.

Matanzas State Forest is co-managed by the Florida Forest Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the St. Johns River Water Management District. Its roughly 4,699 acres lie between U.S. 1 to the west, State Road 206 to the north, the Matanzas River to the east and Faver-Dykes State Park to the south.