Abstract: Exploring how the digital economy drives the multidimensional value of forest resources into livelihood benefits has important theoretical and practical significance for advancing ecological civilization. Based on panel data from 30 provincial-level regions in China from 2011 to 2022 (excluding Xizang, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan), this study constructs a forest ecological welfare performance evaluation system covering ecological, economic, and social welfare dimensions, using forest ecological product valuation as the foundation. Employing mediating effect models and spatial Durbin models, it systematically analyzes the driving effects of the digital economy on forest ecological welfare performance. The results show that: 1) there are significant inter-provincial disparities in forest ecological welfare performance in China, and the digital economy can significantly enhance performance; 2) green technology innovation and upgrading of consumption levels are the main transmission pathways through which the digital economy improves forest ecological welfare performance; 3) forest ecological welfare performance exhibits negative spatial correlation across provinces, while the digital economy promotes synergistic improvement through spatial spillover effects, especially among cross-regional provinces with large differences in forest resource endowments; 4) in eastern and tertiary industry-dominant regions, the digital economy significantly enhances forest ecological welfare performance, and its driving effect strengthens as performance levels increase. Based on these findings, it is recommended to strengthen the value realization mechanism of forest ecological products through the digital economy, and, relying on green technological innovation and consumption level upgrading, promote the coordinated improvement of regional forest ecological welfare performance.