Forest roads constitute a critical component of forest fire management infrastructure and have evolved from traditional transport corridors into integrated carriers supporting “barrier-access-monitoring-logistics” functions. Following the logic of “functional mechanisms-key parameters-optimization technologies”, relevant studies from China and abroad were systematically synthesized. First, the underlying mechanisms were clarified, by which forest roads interrupt fuel continuity to form potential control lines, enhance suppression accessibility and resource-delivery efficiency, support patrol-based monitoring and fire-risk control, and provide forward operating bases and logistical support. Second, focusing on key parameters such as road-network density, road cross-sectional dimensions, and spatial layout, their scenario dependence and regional variation under different topographic, wind, and fuel conditions were summarized. The necessity of distinguishing roadway width from the effective barrier width achieved through road-fuelbreak collaboration (roadway plus adjacent fuel-treatment strips) was emphasized, and maintenance management together with ecological constraints were identified as critical modifiers governing the persistence of road effectiveness. Third, advances in GIS-based multi-criteria decision-making, intelligent optimization algorithms, emergency dispatch coupled with fire-spread simulation, and networked road-fuelbreak synergy were reviewed, and a paradigm shift from static planning toward multi-constraint, dynamically adaptive, and life-cycle-oriented management was identified. Limitations of existing research were further noted, including uneven regional coverage and risks of scale extrapolation, inconsistent datasets and indicator definitions, inadequate characterization of uncertainty under extreme fire behavior, and insufficient integration of multi-objective trade-offs with ecological constraints. To address these gaps, the establishment of zonation-and grading-based standards and long-term data accumulation should be prioritized. Dynamic monitoring and rolling decision-making enabled by remote sensing, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence should be deepened. The construction of standardized, intelligent, and ecologically friendly forest-road fire management systems should also be promoted. These efforts are expected to provide theoretical and methodological support for forest fire engineering practice in China.