Tanzania Forestry Research Institute (TAFORI) was established by Act No. 5 of 1980. Its history dates back to 1893 when the Germans established a 2.5 ha tree nursery near Dar es Salaam . The nursery tested over 270 species for tropical plantations, ornamental and other trees. There after, a Biological Agricultural Research Station was established at Amani in 1902 to undertake systematic test of indigenous (Juniper and Podo) and exotic ( Cypress , Eucalypts, Teak and Black Wattle) tree species. A number of tree species tested, currently constitute major plantation tree species in Tanzania .

During the British Colonial government in 1928 the Biological Agricultural Research Station in Amani was renamed to East African Agricultural Research Station and was subsequently shifted from Amani to Muguga in 1948 to form the East African Agricultural and Forestry Research Organisation (EAAFRO). In the early 1950s the then Tanganyika Government established Silvicultural and Utilisation Research Stations at Lushoto and Moshi respectively to cater for research problems specific to the country while EAAFRO concentrated on regional research needs. The collapse of the East African Community (EAC) an umbrella organisation embracing EAAFRO activities in 1977, led to the establishment of TAFORI in 1980.