Located in the internationally well-known Zhong Guan Cun Hi-Tech Zone, the university was originally the forestry department of the Royal University (the predecessor of Beijing University) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). After the foundation of the university in 1952, a number of distinguished experts and professors from Peking University (now Beijing University), Tsinghua University and Beijing Agriculture University were transferred to the university, which has inherited their rigorous style and discipline in academic pursuits. Decades of effort has developed it into a comprehensive university characterized by forestry, environmental science and biology, with well-coordinated multi-disciplines of science, engineering, management, economics, law, liberal arts and agriculture.

After entering the "211 Project" in 1995, the university reached the standard set by the municipal government for the beautification of campuses in 1996, and won the title of the "Campus as Beautiful as Gardens in Beijing" five years later. In 2000, it established the Graduate School, the only one among the forestry universities and colleges nationwide, and a stock company of science and technology.

BFU, as one of the key institutions of higher education in China, is the cradle of professionals specialized in advanced technology of multi-disciplines including forestry, soil and water conservation, landscape gardening, biotechnology, construction of ecological environment and economic management.

Since its establishment 50 years ago, more than 30,000 students and a number of foreign students have graduated from the university, and among them 11 have attained to the positions of academicians. The university possesses a well-formed faculty composed of 956 full-time teachers, including 5 academicians, 496 full and associate professors
While making an effort to enrich its discipline category and optimize the discipline structure, the university not only possesses the traditional disciplines which are recognized for their high quality both at home and abroad, but also has established a large number of new disciplines to meet the development of the society. There are 15 schools subordinate to the university, namely Graduate School, Biological Science and Technology, Landscape Architecture, Forestry, Environmental Science and Engineering, Soil and Water Conservation, Industry, Information Science, Material Science and Technology, Science, Natural Conservation, Economic Management, Humanistic and Social Sciences, Foreign Languages, Vocational Training and Adult Education.