Tribhuvan University, Institute of Forestry, Pokhara

The Institute of Forestry, Pokhara Campus (IOF-PC), Quality Assurance Accreditation (QAA) certified institution by the UGC, Nepal in September 2022, was established in 1981 as the Central Campus of the Institute of Forestry, one of the five technical institutes under Tribhuvan University, Nepal. The IOF, founded as Nepal Forestry Institute in Singh Durbar, Kathmandu, in 1947, was shifted to Suping (BhimPhedi) in 1957 and again to Hetauda in 1965. The IOF was run by the Department of Forests until July 1972, when it was incorporated into the Tribhuvan University, where it started its new existence as the Institute of Forestry.

In order to meet the growing demands for skilled and competent natural resource managers in the country, the IOF founded the IOF-PC, which launched two academic programs: a two-year Technical Certificate in Forestry (TCF) and a three-year Bachelor of Science in Forestry (B.Sc.F). The latter was changed to a four-year program in 1995 and the former has been phased out. It started Master of Science (M.Sc.) programs in 2004 and has been offering courses for

• M.Sc. in Forestry,
• M.Sc. in Watershed Management, and
• M.Sc. in Natural Resource Management and Rural Development,
• M.Sc. in Community Forestry.

The IOF-PC has also been facilitating Doctoral Program in Forestry run under the IOF Dean’s Office. Besides regular academic programs, it also conducts short-term national and international training and workshops in forestry and allied subjects. Teaching and research at IOF-PC preserve and enrich creative traditions through well-designed educational programs that address the current national and international needs in forestry and allied fields. IOF-PC has emphasized the research of climate-forest and water relations, providing research-based education on watershed management to address climate and water-related disasters in the country.