The College of Forestry of Shanxi Agricultural University was established as a major of forestry in 1974. The Department of Forestry was established in 1980. The College of Forestry, characterized by cultivating senior specialists in forestry and ecological environment construction, was established in 1999.

The undergraduate majors are forestry, forest health, landscape architecture, forest protection, soil, water conservation, and desertification control, ecology, landscape architecture (landscape planning and green space design). Forestry is one of the national and provincial first-class undergraduate major construction points, the first batch of undergraduate brand major in Shanxi Province, the characteristic major in Shanxi Province, and the first batch of majors in the national composite applied outstanding agricultural and forestry talents education and training program reform pilot plan. Landscape architecture and Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control are the first-class undergraduate majors in Shanxi Province.

The College of Forestry began to train masters students in 1985 and doctorate students in 2004. There are doctoral and master degree authorization centers in first-level disciplines of forestry, a professional master degree authorization center in forestry, and a postdoctoral research station in forestry. Forestry is a key discipline in Shanxi Province. It has formed a multi-level talent training system integrating bachelor's degree, master's degree, and doctoral degree. It has the “Shanxi Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Research Development of Functional Oil Tree Species in North China", "Shanxi Forestry Hazardous and Harmful Biological Inspection and Identification Center" and other platforms.

The college consists of 4 departments, 2 centers and 1 experimental station. Namely, the Department of Forestry, the Department of Forest Protection, the Department of Landscape Architecture, the Department of Water Conservation, the Experimental Teaching Center, the Center of Landscape Engineering, and the Forestry Station.

There are 11 professors and 29 associate professors. 80% of the faculty have doctor's degree. There are 2 senior experts of Shanxi Provincial Party Committee, 3 senior experts of Shanxi University Working Committee, 1 Famous Teacher of Shanxi Province, 2 Young Academic leaders of Shanxi Province, 9 outstanding talents of Shanxi Province, 1 member of Teaching Guidance Committee of Higher Education of Ministry of Education, and 3 members of Teaching Guidance Committee of Higher Education of Shanxi Province. The college has won more than 30 national Science and Technology Progress Awards, National Science and Technology Invention Awards, Provincial science and Technology Progress Awards and teaching Achievement Awards.

The College of Forestry has been adhering to a close combination of teaching and scientific research over the years. It has achieved fruitful results, with more than 30 national Science and Technology Progress Awards, National Science and Technology Invention Awards, provincial science and Technology Progress Awards, and provincial teaching achievement Awards. In the past five years, it has presided over 14 National Natural Science Foundation projects, 50 provincial vertical research projects, obtaining 5 provincial forest varieties, and 12 national patent authorization. It has edited the "13th Five-Year Plan" textbook for general higher education of the State Forestry Administration "Landscape Ecology" (second edition), the National Forestry and Grassland Administration higher education "13th Five-Year plan" textbook “Garden Nursery Science " (second edition). It has won 1 teaching achievement prize in Shanxi Province. It has edited and participated in editing 10 national planning textbooks and 11 monographs.

It has trained more than 7220 undergraduates, 750 masters and 25 doctors. At the present, the college has 1550 undergraduates, 212 master's students and 10 doctoral students. In the past three years, the employment rate was 72.67%, with the postgraduate entrance examination rate of 35.57%. In 2021, the postgraduate entrance examination rate has reached a new high of 43.56%.

Hu Ruyuan, an undergraduate student, won the honor of "Self-improvement Star of Chinese College Students" in 2018. Li Yun (class of 2019), Yang Qiuyu (class of 2017) and Feng Xinwei (class of 2016) won the "Liang Xi Outstanding Student Award" and the "National Outstanding Graduate of Forestry" titles. Liang Xiaoming, who graduated from the Department of Forestry in 1996, was awarded as an outstanding graduate of "Taking root in grassroots work and dedicating himself to the cause of forestry and grass" by the National Forestry and Grass Bureau in 2019.

College of Forestry, Shanxi Agricultural University