El articulo pretende analizar la realidad constatada por autores de la existencia de ina notable diferencia entre lo que establece la legislacion de regimen local sobre el modo de ejercitar los aprovechamientos en los montes comunales y la praxis de muchas entidades locales. Para ello, parte de un sucionto repaso de las diferencias entre montes de propios y monunales, segun la legistlacion vigente, incluyendo el origen historico de esta diferencia, para a continuacion pasar a examinar las causas de la endeble situacion real de los mentes comunales: la falta de inventarios fiables de bienes comunales, la confusion heredada de la desamorticacion civil de Madoz (1855), la falta de actualizacion de la normativa, y el propio interes de los Ayuntamientos. tambien se revisa cual ha de ser el papel de la Administracion Forestal en la defensa del caracter comunal de los aprovechamientos de un monte...The aim of this paper is to analyse the reality noted by the authors concerning the existence of a remarkable difference between the regulations stated by forest and municipal corporations. First, the paper reviews the differences between town council's exclusive woodlands and common woodlands, according to the laws in force, and describes too the historical origin of those differences. Secondly, it examines the actual reasons for the present and weak situation of common woodlands: no reliable inventories for common lands are available; confusion derived from Madoz's "Civil Confiscation Law" (1855); no updates for the applicable legislations; and last but not least, the town councils own interests. Finally, its studied which should be the role of Spanish Forest Service in defending the communal essence of forest uses in common woodlands.