Nanjing Forestry University (NFU), located in the east of Nanjing, at the foot of Purple Mountain and east of Xuanwu Lake, is a comprehensive university jointly run and managed by Central Government and Provincial Government. The University originates from the Forest Departments of Jinling University(founded in 1888) and Central University (founded in 1902). In 1952 the university was called Nanjing Forestry College combined with different forest departments from Wuhan University, Nanchang University and Hubei Agricultural College. NFU was also named Nanjing Technological College of Forest Products in 1972. Again in 1983 NFU resumed its name as Nanjing Technological College of Forest Products. In 1985 came into being Nanjing Forestry University.
At present, NFU has 37 Departments in 15 Colleges of Forest Resources and Environment, Landscape Architecture, Wood Science and Technology, Chemical Engineering, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Economics and Management, Humanities and Social Sciences, Information Science and Technology, Graduate School, International Education, Applied Technology, Continuing Education, Nanfang College and one Physical Education Department.
NFU has been authorized to confer master and doctoral degrees in addition to conferring bachelor degrees. NFU offers 52 undergraduate programs; 49 master degree programs, 30 doctorate programs. The discipline of Forestry, as a first-class discipline which can confer the doctoral degree, is also authorized to confer a master degree professional in Agricultural Extension. The discipline of Forestry Engineering, as a first-class discipline which can confer the doctoral degree, is also authorized to confer a master degree in engineering. NFU currently possesses 4 Current Centers for Postdoctoral Researchers with 3 first-class disciplines. There are 6 national key disciplines of Ecology, Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, Wood Science and Technology, Chemical Processing Engineering of Forest Products, Forest Protection and Forest Engineering together with another 10 ministerial and provincial key disciplines.
The total number of students is approximately 25,000, among whom are 2800 master, doctoral and foreign students. In nearly 50 years, NFU has fostered 80,000 graduates and postgraduates as well as foreign students, most of whom have now become the backbones of the forestry development of China.
NFU is authorized to examine quality and approve professorships. Now NFU has approximately 1100 teaching and administrative staff including 2 members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, other 6 members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering invited as university’s concurrent professors, 145 professors and 338 associate professors, 117 supervisors for doctoral students. NFU has the total area of 373 square meters, the total teaching and research equipment of the university reaches to the value of 250 million yuan. The university library has a collection of 1,433,000 volumes and 67,000 periodicals in both Chinese and foreign languages. And the campus broadband network has already covered all the corner of the university.
NFU pays a particular attention to scientific research programs and has attained great achievements. There are 24 R&D research centers, national key open labs, engineering centers, institutes, and divisions approved by the State Forestry Administration and the provincial government, and there are also 26 university-based research institutions and centers. Since 1978, NFU has carried out more than 500 various kinds of scientific research projects each year including “973”, “863” and “948” research programs together with other research projects at the state, ministerial and provincial levels. More than 279 research projects have obtained fruitful results and various prizes have been obtained from the state, the ministerial and the provincial government, among which 4 got the first prize and 35 obtained the second and third prizes of State Science and Technology Advancement; 1 had the first prize, 2 had the second prize together with 1 for the third and 1 for the forth prize of State Invention; 1 got the second prize of State Natural Sciences; and 234 obtained prizes at the ministerial and provincial levels. NFU issues academic publications such as: Journal of Nanjing Forestry University (one edition for natural sciences and the other for humanities and social sciences), China Forestry Science and Technology, Interior Design + Construction and Forestry Energy Conservation.