Nanjing Forestry University is located in the Suojin community in the northeast of Nanjing, the capital city of Jiangsu Province. East of Purple Mountain and west of Xuanwu Lake, the original site was the agriculture-forestry experimental field of Jinling University. NJFU moved to this place in September 1955.

Based on the former Department of Forestry of Central University combined with the Forestry Department of Jinling University, Nanjing Forestry College was established. In 1985, its name changed into Nanjing Forestry University.

 ★1902

Following the instructions of the Qing government, the preparation for a Normal School in Jiangning (Nanjing) began.

★1904

120 students were admitted in the enrollment test.
On November 26th, students formally started the school.
The courses included theory, education, physics, chemistry, agronomy, commerce, museum, industry, medical science, Japanese, drawing, self-cultivation, history, geography, literature, arithmetic, and physical education.

★1915

The school was renamed Nanjing Higher Normal School. Students were officially enrolled in August and the new term started on September 10. There were 30-odd faculties and 126 students.

 ★1919

Nanjing Higher Normal School had become the first coeducational college in China, a revolution in the history of education in China.

★1928

National Central University was established.

★1937

Central University received approval from the Ministry of Education for "Approval of Relocation to Chongqing" and began to move west. The last group of students arrived in Chongqing in mid-November.
On December 1, Central University began classes in Shapingba, Chongqing.

★1941

The Institute of Agronomy in Central University established the Faculty of Forestry, and forest scientist Liang Xi was the director. The faculty began to recruit graduate students in forest science, pioneering China's graduate education in forest science.

★1946

On January 1, the journal "Lin Zhong" which was published by the Department of Forestry of Central University was reissued. Liang Xi wrote the reprint "forest researchers, get up, pick up the hammer, ring the bell, ring the forest bell, ..., if once doesn't work, twice doesn't work, then thrice, if it still doesn't work, ring thousands of times. We will ring the bell from youth to middle-age, to senior years, until death. The apprentices will continue to ring the bell until the Yellow River is crystal clear and barren lands become green mountains. ”
On November 1, Central University moved back to Nanjing and resumed classes. There were 43 departments in 7 colleges and 26 institutes.

★1949

On August 8, National Central University was renamed National Nanjing University, and Liang Xi served as the chairman of the university council.
In November, Liang Xi was transferred to Beijing to be the Minister of the Forest Reclamation Department, and Pan Mao succeeded as the chairman.

★1952

In September, the Forestry Departments of Nanjing University and Jinling University merged to form Nanjing Forestry College, with three majors: afforestation, forest management, and forestry engineering. There were also forestry courses, forestry training courses, and forest utilization training courses. Jin Shanbao served as the principal. The location was temporarily at Dingjiaqiao (formerly the second campus of Central University).
Jinling University established a four-year Forestry program in 1915. Famous forest scientists Ling Daoyang, Chen Yan, Ye Yage, Lin Gang, and Li Deyi had successively served as the directors.

★1953

The Departments of Forestry and Forestry Industry were established. The Forestry Department has two majors of afforestation and forest management; the Forest Industry Department has one major of forest engineering.

★1954

The major of forest engineering was renamed as wood machine processing. The junior students of forest harvesting were collectively transferred to Northeast Forestry College.
On December 3, the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Forestry decided that the Forestry Department of Central China Agricultural College was to be merged into Nanjing Forestry College.
On December 15, in accordance with the Decision of the State Council for Amending the Leadership of Higher Education Institutions, Nanjing Forestry College was put under the direct management of the Ministry of Forestry.

★1955

In April, the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Forestry approved the relocation of Nanjing Forestry College to a new site outside Taipingmen. Architect Yang Tingbao was invited to take charge of campus planning. His goal was to build a "forest park campus".
On September 10, 151 faculties and students (including 26 teachers and 125 students) from the Forest Department of Central China Agricultural College arrived at Nanjing.
On September 12, classes were officially resumed at the new campus.

★1956 On May 16, the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Forestry decided that Nanjing Forestry College should add a 5-year undergraduate program of "Forestry Chemical Technology".

In July, the State Council appointed Zheng Wanjun as the principal of Nanjing Forestry College and Gan Duo as the deputy principal.

★1958

In April, Nanjing Forestry College changed its leadership to Jiangsu Province.
In May, the Ministry of Forestry approved that the "Forestry Chemical Technology" major of Nanjing Forestry College was changed to "Wood Chemical Technology".
In June, with the consent of the Ministry of Forestry, new majors of Forest Protection, Urban and Residential Area Greening, Special Economic Forest, and Forest Machinery and Wood Machinery Manufacturing were added. Pilot courses of two-year programs in forestry, forest machinery, chemical industry of forest products and training courses for forestry leaders were offered.
In October, the first issue of "Journal of Nanjing Forestry College" was published.

★1959
The Department of Forest Chemistry was established in May. The College had 3 departments and 8 majors. The Forestry Department had majors in Forestry, Forest Protection, Urban and Residential Area Greening, Special Economic Forests, and Tree Physiology and Biochemistry; the Forestry Industry Department had majors in Wood Machinery Processing, Forestry Machinery Design and Manufacturing; and the Forest Chemistry Department had one major in Forestry Chemical Technology.
In November, the Ministry of Forestry notified that Nanjing Forestry College would be directly administrated by the Ministry of Forestry since January 1, 1960.

★1960
On June 1, correspondence courses were held.
On September 2, the Departments of Forestry Machinery and Forest Protection were newly established. The College had 17 majors in 5 departments. The new majors were Forest Soil, Wood Science, Wood Preservation, Radio Design and Manufacturing, Plant Hydrolysis Technology, Chemistry, Forestry Mechanization, Forest Chemical Engineering Design and Manufacturing, Forestry Machinery Design and Manufacturing. 

★1972
In April, Nanjing Forestry College was renamed Nanjing Technological College of Forest Products.
In October, Nanjing Forestry School was merged into Nanjing Technological College of Forest Products.

★1977

Nanjing Forestry Industry College resumed enrollment in the national college entrance examination. All the majors were 4-year programs.

★1978
In January, graduate student enrollment resumed.
In March, the faculty title evaluation was resumed, 3 professors, 23 associate professors, and 189 lecturers were promoted.

In September, the college administration system was changed to dual administration of the State Forestry Administration and Jiangsu Province, with the State Forestry Administration as the main body.
In November, the "Journal of Nanjing Technological College of Forest Products" was reissued and was released home and abroad.

★1979
In February, the Academic Committee of Nanjing Technological College of Forest Products was set up, and Ma Dapu served as the chairman.
In July, Ma Dapu was appointed the principal.

★1981
In April, the major of Landscaping was resumed and a wood water transport research room was set up.
In September, the Degree Evaluation Committee was established, with Ma Dapu as the director.
In November, the State Council approved the PhD disciplines and supervisors: Forest Ecology-Xiong Wenyu; Afforestation-Ma Dapu.
Master's degree disciplines are: Forest Botany, Forest Ecology, Forest Genetics and Breeding, Afforestation, Forest Management, Forest Protection, Wood Machinery Processing, Forest Chemical Processing, Forestry Machinery.
In December, the State Council Degree Committee and the Ministry of Education notified that Nanjing Technological College of Forest Products was among the first group of colleges which was qualified to confer degrees.

★1982
In May, the Forest Chemistry Department added a new major of Pulp and Paper-Making.
In September, correspondence courses were resumed.

★1983

In July, the main teaching building with a construction area of 15,000 square meters was completed.
In October, the name of Nanjing Forestry College was restored.

★1985

The college was renamed Nanjing Forestry University.