Beijing Forestry University
Beijing Forestry University (BFU) is a national key university directly under the administration of the Ministry of Education, jointly established by the Ministry of Education, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, and the Beijing Municipal Government. BFU is one of the first universities to be included in national “Project 211”, a pilot university under the national plan for the “Innovation Platform for Prioritized Academic Disciplines”, and a national “Double First-Class” university. It is also a member of the Global Challenge University Alliance, the Silk Road Agricultural Education and Research Innovation Alliance, the Belt and Road & South-South Cooperation Agricultural Education, Science and Technology Innovation League, and the China-Central and Eastern European Countries Universities Consortium.
The history of BFU traces back to 1902. It was officially established in 1952 through the merger of forestry departments from two agricultural colleges. Designated a national key university in 1960 and renamed Beijing Forestry University in 1985, the university was selected for the national “Project 211” in 1996 and the “Double First-Class” initiative in 2017, with Forestry and Landscape Architecture as its flagship disciplines. In 2022, BFU received earnest encouragement from General Secretary Xi Jinping. In recent years, BFU has obtained tripartite support from the Ministry of Education, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, and the Beijing Municipal Government. In 2024, BFU commenced construction on its Xiongan Campus, marking a major step toward establishing a new “One University, Two Campuses, and a Forest Park” development framework.
Upholding the core educational philosophy of “Knowing the Land, Bettering Mankind”, BFU has long been deeply engaged in forestry higher education and the development of ecological civilization in China. It takes ecological civilization construction as the foundation of its establishment and development, and has been making unremitting efforts to advance all undertakings to new heights, contributing to the building of a Beautiful China and a leading educational power.
BFU has systematically built a discipline system aligned with the five major systems of ecological civilization (culture, economy, environment, society, and ecological institution). The university currently consists of 17 schools, offering 68 undergraduate programs (including specialized tracks), 25 first-level master’s degree disciplines, 21 professional master’s degree programs, 8 first-level doctoral degree disciplines, 2 professional doctoral degree programs, 7 interdisciplinary disciplines (including self-established ones), and 7 postdoctoral research stations.
Built upon biology and ecology, BFU excels in Forestry and Landscape Architecture, with distinctive strengths in Forestry Engineering, Soil and Water Conservation, Grassland Science and Agroforestry Economics, covering all key ecosystems and multiple categories including agriculture, science, engineering, management, economics, literature, law, philosophy, education, arts, and interdisciplinary studies.
The university is home to 2 national “Double First-Class” disciplines, 2 Beijing high-end cutting-edge disciplines, and 5 disciplines rated Grade A or higher in China’s national disciplinary assessment, providing foundational and strategic support for Chinese-style modernization featuring harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature.
Over the past 70 years, BFU has educated more than 200,000 professionals dedicated to China’s ecological civilization, including 16 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Engineering. As one of China’s first pilot universities for comprehensive higher education reform, it hosts two unique national research bases—the only National Textbook Research Base for Ecological Civilization and the first Procuratorial Public Interest Litigation Base in a non-legal university—alongside 27 national first-class undergraduate majors and a full range of top-tier teaching facilities. The university has won 11 national teaching achievement awards, and maintains a graduate employment rate above 94%. Nearly 20% of graduates serving in the forestry and grassland sector, western China and grassroots positions, while over 45% of ecology-related majors pursue careers in their field.
BFU runs its flagship “5·5 Talent Initiative” with a tiered faculty recruitment and evaluation system, ranking top among China’s forestry universities for high-level talent development. Its distinguished roster includes 2 full-time and 6 affiliated strategic scientists and 72 recipients of premier national talent schemes. It hosts 10 national-level teaching and research teams, with faculty members honored with the Luc Hoffmann Wetland Science and Conservation Award, the Chinese Government Friendship Award, and a host of leading national academic accolades.
BFU serves as a premier hub of green innovation for global ecological civilization advancement. It pioneered the integration of grassland into the “mountains–rivers–forests–farmlands–lakes–grasslands–sandlands” framework, established the shelterbelt system theory, led the drafting of Wetland Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, and developed the Xiji Model for Loess Plateau ecological restoration. Addressing critical bottlenecks in forest and grass seed innovation, BFU hosts the world’s largest germplasm bank, operates the BFU Ecological Civilization Satellite, and runs 2 national key laboratories in forestry—underpinning a network of 114 national/ministerial and 80+ university-level platforms.
Its journals Forest Ecosystems and Avian Research hold leading international positions, while landmark findings published in Cell, Nature, and Science advance understanding of conifer genetics, grassland drought sensitivity, and terrestrial ecosystem resilience. BFU has developed non-dispersing poplar varieties, the world’s first plum blossom genome map, and China’s most comprehensive chrysanthemum gene bank, supporting low-carbon urban development. Since its founding, it has earned 58 national and 355+ provincial science/technology awards; during the 14th Five-Year Plan, it secured 471 NSFC grants, 34 national key R&D projects, 266 new plant varieties, 73 national standards, and 1,187 invention patents.
As a premier ecological civilization think tank, BFU backs key national ecological schemes including the Three-North Shelterbelt Program, Natural Forest Protection Program and Xizang’s Beautiful Mount Everest drive to advance four national ecological pilot zones. Home to China’s inaugural Yellow River Basin ecology institute and the lead organizer of the Capital Biodiversity Conservation Research Institute, the university fuels Beijing’s urban greening and watershed planning. Its long-running targeted assistance to Horqin Right Front Banner of Inner Mongolia has earned top central government ratings for six straight years, with partnerships across nearly 100 local authorities and enterprises advancing nationwide ecological progress.
With a global engagement strategy focused on advancing global ecological civilization, BFU has established partnerships with over 190 leading universities and research institutions across 40+ countries and regions. It leads the Asia-Pacific Forestry Education Coordination Mechanism (APFECM), the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP), and the International Alliance for Science and Education on Migratory Flyways, supports Mongolia’s Billion Trees Initiative and operates the China-Mongolia Desertification Control Cooperation Center. BFU collaborates with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other international bodies, co-founded 28 joint laboratories with global institutions including the French National Institute for Agricultural Research and the University of British Columbia, and participates in major international university alliances. It offers joint degree programs and overseas training to nurture globally competent talents, and has run capacity-building programs for 700+ forestry officials from developing countries for 20 consecutive years, hosting over 300 international students through multiple government scholarship schemes.
BFU advances ecological civilization through cultural stewardship. As one of China’s first national ecological civilization education bases and the host of the National Youth Ecological Civilization Education Center, it holds the country’s sole national intangible cultural heritage project of Traditional Flower Arrangement among domestic universities. BFU has compiled authoritative forestry classics and pioneered a series of influential ecological civilization assessment reports on provincial development, the Yellow River Basin and national parks. Its original theatrical works Liang Xi and Symbiosis widely disseminate ecological and scientific spirits, while signature public welfare programs including the Green Long March and the Ecological Civilization Doctoral Lecturer Group have enjoyed nationwide renown, fostering public awareness and active participation in ecological conservation.
“Adorn the mountains and rivers, and paint the motherland like a landscape.” Looking ahead, BFU will remain committed to fostering talents for the country, cultivating new generations worthy of national rejuvenation. Focusing on its core mission of serving ecological civilization construction, BFU will strive to build itself into a world-class university dedicated to ecological civilization, and make greater contributions to national development and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Updated 26 March 2026
