Beijing Forestry University

Beijing Forestry University is a national key university directly under the Ministry of Education and jointly supported by the ministry, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, and Beijing Municipal People’s Government. It is among the first key Project 211 universities, a pilot university under the Innovation Platforms for Advantageous Disciplines initiative, and a Double First-Class university. It chairs the Ministry of Education’s higher education teaching guidance committees for forestry programs, nature conservation and environmental ecology programs, and forestry engineering programs. It is the convening institution of the State Council Academic Degrees Committee’s forestry discipline evaluation group and hosts the secretariats of the National Forestry Professional Postgraduate Education Steering Committee and the National Landscape Architecture Professional Postgraduate Education Steering Committee. It is also a member of the Global Challenges University Alliance, Silk Road Agricultural Education and Research Innovation Alliance, Belt and Road South-South Cooperation Agricultural Education and Research Innovation Alliance, and China-Central and Eastern European Countries Higher Education Institutions Consortium.

Its history dates to the forestry section of the agriculture division of the Imperial University of Peking in 1902. During national departmental restructuring in 1952, the forestry departments of Beijing Agricultural University and Hebei Agricultural College merged to establish Beijing Forestry College. It was designated a national key higher education institution in 1960 and renamed Beijing Forestry University in 1985. In 1996, it entered the first group of key Project 211 universities. In 2000, administration transferred from the former State Forestry Administration to the Ministry of Education, and it received approval for a graduate school. In 2001, it gained joint support from the ministry and State Forestry Administration. In 2008, it became a pilot institution under the national Innovation Platforms for Advantageous Disciplines initiative. In 2012, it led the establishment of China’s first forestry collaborative innovation center, for Efficient Cultivation and Utilization of Forest Resources. It joined the first national Double First-Class university group in 2017, with forestry and landscape architecture selected for first-class discipline development. Its Xiong’an campus was approved in 2021, making it one of the first universities to enter Xiong’an. In 2022, it received encouragement from General Secretary Xi Jinping and was selected for the second national Double First-Class round. In 2023, it gained tripartite joint support from the Ministry of Education, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, and Beijing Municipal Government. Its High-Quality Development Conference set the goal of becoming a world-class university serving ecological civilization. Construction of Xiong’an campus began in 2024, accelerating a new structure of one university, two campuses and one park.

Upholding its educational philosophy, “Understand Mountains and Water; Nurture Trees and People,” it participates actively in higher forestry education and ecological civilization. In the new era, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, it fully implements the Party’s educational policy and the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education. Taking Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization and the spirit of his encouragement as important guidance, it makes ecological civilization the foundation of its establishment and development, advancing its work and contributing to a strong education system and a beautiful China.

The university consistently uses high-quality Party-building to lead high-quality development. It hosts the secretariat of the national university Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, operates a Ministry of Education Innovation and Development Center for University Ideological and Political Work, and chairs the tenth council of the Beijing University Party-Building Research Association. It has received approval for 27 national and Beijing Party-building projects, including those under development, in programs such as Double Innovation and Double Hundred. Honors include National Advanced Collective in Caring for the Next Generation and Beijing Advanced Regular University for Party-Building and Ideological and Political Work. It has 3 national benchmark schools or departments, 8 national model Party branches, 1 of the first national studios for teacher Party branch secretaries who lead in both Party-building and academic work, 2 of the national Hundred Model Postgraduate Party Branches, and 3 of the national Hundred Model Postgraduate Party Members. In Beijing, it has 2 benchmark schools or departments, 6 model Party branches, 2 Party-building-led practical innovation demonstration projects and 1 outstanding case of spiritual civilization development in the capital’s education system. These provide political, intellectual and organizational support for its world-class ecological civilization mission.

The university systematically develops disciplines and programs aligned with the five major systems of ecological civilization. It has 17 schools, 66 undergraduate programs including specializations, master’s degrees in 25 first-level disciplines and 21 professional categories, doctoral degrees in 8 first-level disciplines and 2 professional categories, 6 interdisciplinary disciplines including independently established ones, and 7 postdoctoral research stations. Its disciplinary system rests on biology and ecology, is led by forestry and landscape architecture, and has distinctive strengths in forestry engineering, soil and water conservation and desertification control, grassland science, and agricultural and forestry economics and management. It covers forests, grasslands, wetlands, deserts and urban and rural habitats, with coordinated development in agriculture, science, engineering, management, economics, literature, law, philosophy, education and the arts. It has 2 national Double First-Class disciplines, forestry and landscape architecture; 2 Beijing university high-end disciplines, ecological restoration engineering and urban-rural human habitat ecology; and interdisciplinary fields serving ecological civilization, including ecological civilization development, carbon reduction and sequestration science and engineering, and national park studies. Five disciplines or programs are rated A or above. These provide basic and strategic support for Chinese modernization through harmonious coexistence between people and nature.

The university builds a high-level system for educating leaders in ecological civilization. For more than 70 years, it has developed outstanding innovative talent and industry leaders with aspirations, abilities and responsibility in response to major national strategic needs. It has educated more than 200000 outstanding professionals for the ecological civilization front line, represented by 16 academicians of the two Chinese academies. It deepens comprehensive teaching reform, improves mechanisms for fostering virtue and develops a distinctive talent education identity. It hosts China’s only National Key Research Base for Textbook Development in Ecological Civilization, and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate’s first public-interest litigation research base at a university outside political science and law. Its resources include 1 Biological Sciences Outstanding Student Training Plan 2.0 base, 1 national science talent training base, 1 national experimental teaching demonstration center, 7 facilities including national virtual simulation experimental teaching demonstration centers, 5 national virtual teaching and research office pilots, 27 national first-class undergraduate program development sites, 28 national first-class undergraduate courses, 5 national first-class virtual simulation experimental teaching courses, 2 national model courses integrating ideological and political education, and 2 national distinguished teacher/teaching team recognitions for such teaching. It has received 11 national teaching achievement awards, 3 National Outstanding Textbook Awards, 1 National Advanced Individual in Textbook Development honor and 1 Ministry of Education team for developing the 14th Five-Year higher education textbook system in strategic emerging fields. Students have won 41 national first prizes and gold medals in competitions on the national regular university student competition ranking list and 5 national awards in competitions including the China International College Student Innovation Competition. Twelve doctoral dissertations have received national outstanding dissertation honors. In recent years, the confirmed graduate destination rate has remained at least 94%. Nearly 20% take jobs in the forestry and grassland sectors, western regions or grassroots front-line positions, and more than 45% of graduates in ecological civilization-related programs work in their industry.

The university develops national strategic scientific talent to lead ecological civilization and highly qualified teachers meeting the new era’s Four Good Teacher standards. It innovatively implements the 5·5 workforce development project, building tiered, differentiated recruitment and assessment systems with clear goals. Its development of high-level talent leads China’s forestry institutions and supports the creation of an important global talent center and innovation hub. It has 2 strategic scientists, 6 flexibly recruited strategic scientists, 1 chief scientist of a major National Social Science Fund project, 63 national talent program selections, 2 national Huang Danian-style university teacher teams, 5 national outstanding teaching teams and 3 Ministry of Education Innovation Team Development Program teams. Its honors include 1 Chinese Government Friendship Award, 3 National Model Teachers, 9 China Youth Science and Technology Award recipients, 2 Chinese Young Female Scientist Award recipients, 3 National Outstanding Science and Technology Workers, 3 National Innovation Excellence Award recipients, 1 Ho Leung Ho Lee Science and Technology Progress Award recipient, 1 International Environmental Contribution Award recipient and 1 LucHoffmann Wetland Science and Conservation Award recipient.

The university is building a source of green technological innovation for ecological civilization. It creatively proposed adding grassland, an important ecosystem, to the concept of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands and lakes as a community of life. It first proposed shelterbelt system theory, led drafting of the Wetland Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, and pioneered the Xiji model of ecological management on the Loess Plateau. It addresses bottlenecks in forest, grassland and flower breeding, is developing the world’s largest forest and grassland germplasm repository, and launched the Beijing Forestry University Ecological Civilization terrestrial ecosystem monitoring satellite. It has been approved for the only 2 national key laboratories in forestry. Its comprehensive innovation platform system comprises 92 national, provincial or ministerial science and technology platforms, including the National Engineering Research Center for Floriculture and the National Engineering Research Center for Tree Breeding and Ecological Restoration, and 80 university-level platforms. Its Forest Ecosystems journal was selected as a leading English-language journal, and Avian Research as an English-language journal in the development tier. It has established a full-chain innovation system for molecular design breeding of trees; published in Cell to reveal the genetic code of Chinese pine and in Nature on drought sensitivity of Chinese and US grassland ecosystems; bred nationally improved poplar varieties without flying catkins; developed the world’s first whole-genome variation map of mei blossom; and established China’s most complete Chrysanthemum germplasm collection. It advances livable ecological environments and whole-territory forest cities and accelerates a green innovation system serving ecological civilization. Since its founding, it has received 58 national and more than 350 provincial or ministerial science and technology awards. Since the 14th Five-Year Plan, it has undertaken 1 major special research project on Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, 345 National Natural Science Foundation projects, 30 National Key Research and Development Program projects and 50 Beijing Natural Science Foundation projects. It has received approval for 3 national improved varieties, 14 provincial improved varieties and 224 new plant varieties, participated in 63 national standards and applied for 993 invention patents.

The university comprehensively serves major ecological civilization strategies. It fulfills an ecological think-tank role, leads major Ministry of Education social science projects and researches and interprets Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization. It addresses major national strategies through technical support for key ecosystem protection and restoration projects such as the Three-North Shelterbelt Program, Natural Forest Protection Program, Beautiful Mount Qomolangma development in Tibet and national parks, supporting all four national ecological civilization pilot zones. Serving regional economic and social development, it pioneered a research institute for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River basin and led establishment of the Capital Biodiversity Conservation Research Institute. It contributes expertise to greening and beautifying Beijing, Little Western Hills greening, integrated small-watershed management, and urban-rural green-space planning and construction. It supports effective transition to rural revitalization in Horqin Right Front Banner, Inner Mongolia, receiving a good rating in central institutions’ targeted poverty alleviation assessments for 4 consecutive years. It has strategic partnerships with more than 80 local governments, enterprises and institutions to support local ecological construction and green development.

The university builds an international educational framework to explore global ecological civilization together. Embracing openness, integration and collaborative innovation, it has partnerships with more than 190 high-level institutions and research organizations in over 40 countries and regions. It led establishment of the Asia-Pacific forestry education coordination mechanism, East Asian-Australasian Migratory Bird Research Center and International Science and Education Alliance for Migratory Bird Flyways, and launched the alliance’s global initiative. It fully supports Mongolia’s Billion Trees plan and undertakes operation of the China-Mongolia Desertification Control Cooperation Center. It works with nearly one hundred experts worldwide on frontier research into carbon peaking and neutrality, plant and animal protection and biodiversity conservation. It actively participates in alliances including the Global Challenges University Alliance, Silk Road Agricultural Education and Research Innovation Alliance, Belt and Road South-South Cooperation Agricultural Education and Research Innovation Alliance, and China-Central and Eastern European Countries Higher Education Institutions Consortium, continually increasing global influence. It has strategic agreements with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation, and International Bamboo and Rattan Organization. With institutions including the French Academy of Agriculture and Canada’s University of British Columbia, it has developed more than 10 joint international cooperation laboratories. It offers overseas opportunities through cooperative education, joint training and international summer schools, developing outstanding innovative talent with global competencies and improving openness. For 18 consecutive years, it has conducted Ministry of Commerce foreign assistance training, providing more than 600 training placements for forestry officials from developing countries.

The university consistently uses culture to advance ecological civilization. It is among the first national ecological civilization education bases and is developing a National Youth Ecological Civilization Education Center. It initiated university alliances for studying Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization and for postgraduate ecological civilization outreach, and created the first National University Ecological Civilization Network. It hosts traditional flower arranging, the only national intangible cultural heritage project at a Chinese university. It participated extensively in compiling the Forestry volume of the Grand Compendium of Chinese Culture and the Encyclopedia of Chinese Forestry and pioneered the publication of the Evaluation Report on Ecological Civilization Development in China’s Provinces, Green Book of Yellow River Ecological Civilization and Green Book of National Parks. Faculty and students created and performed the original play Liang Xi, honoring his service to the nation through science and education, and the original ecological dance drama Symbiosis, telling stories of ecological civilization work. Both received broad public praise. Signature green activities such as the Green Long March and doctoral ecological civilization lecturer group are known nationally and encourage public participation in ecological civilization.

“Clothe the rivers and mountains in brocade, and paint the nation in glorious colors.” Looking ahead, Beijing Forestry University will remember General Secretary Xi Jinping’s encouragement, educate people for the Party and talent for the country, and cultivate a new generation capable of national rejuvenation. It focuses on its role in building a strong education system, its strategic contribution to ecological civilization and its development blueprint of one university and two campuses. It will strive to become a world-class university serving ecological civilization and make new and greater contributions to strengthening the country and rejuvenating the nation.

(Note: Data as of March 10, 2025.)