Launch of the bicentenary of the École forestière de Nancy
February 12 2025In 2025, AgroParisTech celebrates the bicentenary of the École forestière de Nancy. An emblematic institution for two centuries, it has evolved to meet major forestry, environmental and societal challenges. This anniversary is an opportunity to recall the importance of water and forests in training, research and innovation at AgroParisTech, as well as to pay tribute to a commitment to teaching and scientific research on forests and the management of natural resources.
A day of celebrations and exchanges
Tuesday, February 11, marked the start of the celebrations for the bicentenary of the École forestière de Nancy. The day began with a musical interlude performed by the bugle players of the National Forestry Office, followed by a speech by Myriam Legay, director of the Nancy campus and former student, presenting the history of the establishment.
The guests then made their way to the park of the School to a new musical piece before witnessing the performance of a simple but symbolic gesture of the forester’s profession: the planting of a new tree. The bugle players of the National Forestry Office then played a new piece of music before heading to Place Stanislas to sound their horns one last time.
At the Town Hall, Laurent Buisson, Director General of AgroParisTech, Jean-Pierre Renaud, Vice-President of FIBOIS Grand-Est, Benoît Grasser, Vice-President of the University of Lorraine and Executive Director of Lorraine Université d’Excellence, and Franck Muratet, 2nd Deputy Mayor of Nancy and Metropolitan Councillor, gave a speech. Two round tables brought together alumni and professionals from the sector to discuss the themes “Specificity of forestry engineering” and “Looking back at school”. The day ended with a cocktail party to the tune of the forestry anthem, the Velleda, performed by a jazz band.
The École forestière de Nancy: 200 years in the service of science and forestry
Founded by decree in 1824, the Forestry School is the cradle of forestry training in France. Benefiting from the abundance of forests in Lorraine and strong relationships with the German forestry industry, the School has stood the test of time and has since gained worldwide recognition in the forestry and scientific fields.
It began operating on January 1st, 1825 with Bernard Lorentz, former secretary of the general forestry inspection of the Mont-Tonnerre department, as its first director.
In 1830, the Forestry School was able to recruit students from the École Polytechnique and in 1882 it became the application school of the Institut national agronomique (INA). In the same year, French forestry research was born by a decree of February 27th which created the Research and Experimentation Station. It was set up in Nancy, in the Forestry School.
In 1899, fishing and fish farming joined its field of action. From 1986, it diversified its activities by creating a research center on tropical forests in Kourou and a center dedicated to water and Mediterranean forests in Montpellier.
In 2007, the Forestry School of Nancy became an internal school of AgroParisTech and took charge of research on the themes of forests, woodlands and natural environments.
Training with an eye to the future
Today, the Nancy campus of AgroParisTech trains a new class of forestry engineers and experts in natural environment management every year. The courses combine basic sciences, fieldwork and technical skills to prepare students for the major environmental challenges of the 21st century. It offers executive training and multidisciplinary research focused on the knowledge and sustainable management of forests to provide wood and ecosystem services, the management of urban and rural trees and the management of natural environments.