Nanjing Forestry University is situated at the foothills of Zijin Mountain and the banks of Xuanwu Lake in Nanjing. It is a prominent provincial university jointly established by the central and local governments. The university is recognized as a national "double first-class" institution and holds the distinction of being an A-class university under the Jiangsu High-level University Construction Summit Plan. Its origins can be traced back to the Department of Forestry at Central University (established in 1902) and the Department of Forestry at Jinling University (established in 1910). In 1952, these two departments merged to form Nanjing Forestry College. In 1983, the college reverted to its original name, Nanjing Forestry College, and in 1985, it was renamed Nanjing Forestry University.

The university comprises 21 colleges and departments, including the College of Forestry, College of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, College of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, College of Civil Engineering, College of Economics and Management, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Information Science and Technology, College of Landscape Architecture, College of Science, College of Foreign Languages, College of Art and Design, College of Home and Industrial Design, College of Light Industry and Food, College of Automotive and Traffic Engineering, College of Biology and Environment, Graduate School, College of Continuing Education (School of Applied Science and Technology), College of International Education, College of Marxism, and the Department of Physical Education.

The university has a significant number of full-time students, exceeding 30,000, including over 8,500 doctoral and master's degree students.

Nanjing Forestry University signed an internship base agreement with Tianzhushan UGGp in December 2012.