中国林业科学研究院林业研究所成立于1953年，是中国林业科学研究院成立最早、学科设置齐全、科技力量最为雄厚的研究所。研究所是以森林培育、林木遗传育种、森林生态系统管理和林业生态工程为主的综合性公益型研究机构，着重解决林业建设中全国性的、重大的、跨地区性、基础性和应用性的科学技术问题，是林业系统国家科技支撑项目、973项目、863项目、科技基础条件平台项目、科技基础性工作专项、林业公益性行业专项的主要承担单位。
研究所下设5个职能处室，12个研究室，是“国家林业局城市森林研究中心”和“国家林业局滨海林业研究中心”的挂靠单位。研究所拥有“国家林业局林木培育重点实验室”和“国家林业局植物新品种分子测定实验室”，是“林木遗传育种国家重点实验室”的主要技术依托单位。现有3个国家林业局野外生态定位研究站和2个成果产业化开发公司，另有6个国家林业局和中国林科院所属研究中心及国家林业局北方林木种子检验中心挂靠在研究所。此外，中国林学会的7个分会或专业委员会，中国经济林协会的核桃、榛子、油橄榄专业委员会以及中国土壤学会森林土壤专业委员会均挂靠在研究所。
建所以来，研究所取得各类科研成果350余项，共获得国家、省（部）级科技成果奖励149项，包括国家级奖38项，省（部）级奖111项。其中获得国家科技进步特等奖1项，国家科技进步一等奖3项，国家科技进步二等奖19项，国家科技进步三等奖9项，国家发明二等奖2项，国家发明三等奖2项。
研究所先后与30余个国家和20余个国际组织开展国际合作与交流，承担了联合国开发计划署（UNDP）、联合国粮农组织（FAO）、澳大利亚科共组织（CSIRO）、加拿大开发计划署及英国海外发展署（ODA）等资助的研究项目。与英国的牛津大学和爱丁堡大学、加拿大的英属哥伦比亚大学和阿尔伯塔大学、瑞典农业大学及美国北卡罗来纳州立大学等大学和研究机构开展了长期合作研究，在国际林业研究领域具有重要影响。

The Research Institute of Forestry (RIF), caF, was founded in 1953. The Institute is a comprehensive public welfare research institution focusing on forest cultivation, forest genetic breeding, forest ecosystem management and forestry ecological engineering. It focuses on solving national, major, trans-regional, basic and applied scientific and technological problems in forestry construction. It is the main undertaking unit of forestry System national Science and Technology Support Project, 973 project, 863 project, Science and technology Basic Condition Platform project, science and technology basic work special project, forestry public welfare industry special project.
The institute consists of 5 functional departments and 12 research offices. It is the affiliated unit of "Urban Forest Research Center of State Forestry Administration" and "Coastal Forestry Research Center of State Forestry Administration". The institute has "Key Laboratory of Tree Cultivation of State Forestry Administration" and "Laboratory of Molecular Determination of New Plant Varieties of State Forestry Administration", which is the main technical support unit of "State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding". There are 3 field ecological positioning research stations of state Forestry Administration and 2 industrialization development companies, and 6 research centers of State Forestry Administration and Chinese Academy of Forestry, as well as the North Forest Seed Testing Center of State Forestry Administration, are attached to the institute. In addition, 7 branches or professional committees of The Chinese Society of Forestry, the professional committee of walnut, Hazelnut and olive of the Chinese Economic Forestry Association and the professional Committee of forest Soil of the Chinese Soil Society are all affiliated to the Institute.
Since its establishment, the institute has achieved more than 350 scientific research achievements and won 149 national and provincial (ministry) level scientific and technological achievements awards, including 38 national awards and 111 provincial (ministry) level awards. Among them, 1 national Science and technology Progress Special prize, 3 national science and Technology progress first prize, 19 national science and technology progress second prize, 9 national science and technology progress third prize, 2 national invention second prize, 2 national invention third prize.
The Institute has carried out international cooperation and exchanges with more than 30 countries and more than 20 international organizations, and undertaken research projects funded by THE United Nations Development Program (UNDP), The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), CSIRO of Australia, the Canadian Development Program and the British Overseas Development Agency (ODA). The university of Oxford and The University of Edinburgh in the UK, the University of British Columbia and the University of Alberta in Canada, the Swedish Agricultural University and north Carolina State University in the United States have carried out long-term collaborative research, which has a significant influence in the field of international forestry research.