Imperial Forestry Institute

The Imperial Forestry Institute (IFI) was a research institute founded at Oxford in 1924. Originally the Institute remained distinct from the School of Forestry, Oxford, however they were both headed by Robert Scott Troup, the Professor of Forestry at Oxford University. However in 1935, as the role of the Institute had grown, the leadership of the two organisations was separated, with a new role, the Director of the Imperial Forestry Institute, with John N. Oliphant, previously Deputy Director of Forestry, Malaya, appointed to that role. Whereas the School of Forestry provided undergraduate instruction which would prepare students for posts in the British Isles or in overseas parts of the British Empire. The Institute provided post graduate study, an opportunity immediately taken up by Forestry officers from the colonies.