Central Academy of Forest Education (CAFE) previously known by the name Eastern Forest Rangers College (EFRC) is located at St Marys Hill in Kursong Sub-division of Darjeeling, West Bengal. The campus building is standing tall through its huge colonial construction amidst coniferous and moist deciduous forest in the hill of Eastern Himalayas. The beautiful view of Mt. Kanchanjungha (the world's third highest peak) at the backdrop of the campus makes the institute building more beautiful.

The Central Forest Academy of Forest Education (erstwhile Eastern Forest Rangers College) was established in 1974 under Plan Scheme of Fifth Five Plan by Government of India vide letter No.A11011/6/73-FRY-Y date 06.03.1974 with the main objective to impart knowledge and skills to the newly recruited Forest Ranger Officers of the country and help them to develop competence for managing forest and wildlife resources of the country on a Sustainable basis and also to systematically move towards providing need basis training and learning to the in-service Forest Range Officers. This is the third Forest Rangers College of the Country and is presently the only Forest Rangers College under the direct control of the Directorate of Forest Education, Government of India exclusively to train Forest Officers. The College start functioning from 15.04.1974 and was formally inaugurated by the Union Minister of Food & Agriculture, Sri Jagjivan Ram on 30.11.1974. The Academy is housed in huge colonial period building and situated on picturesque Saint Mary's Hill in Kurseong sub-division of Darjeeling district of West Bengal. The college building has three storeys with basement and attic.

The floor area of the building is 60,198sq. feet. The building has 121 rooms which houses, principals & faculty chamber, class rooms, conference rooms, engineering hall, library, hostel, mess, kitchen, bathroom etc. The land area of the Institute is 30.57 Acers, in which two nos. type IV quarters, two nos. type III Quarters, one no. out house, one parlour for resource persons/guest, one football ground, one basketball court, one tennis court, one volleyball court and one badminton court are also present beside the main College Building.

Central Academy of Forest Education

On 6th August 2009 all the three State Forest Service colleges at Dehradun, Coimbatore and Burnihat were renamed as Central Academy for State Forest Service (CASFOS). At present, there are three Central Academies for State Forest Services in India. All are under the direct control of the Directorate of Forest Education (DFE), Dehradun under the Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change, Government of India. The Academy at Burnihat, Assam was the first to be set up in India in May 1976. The Academy at Kurseong was renamed as Central Academy of Forest Education on 2016.

Past Principals