Hills cover major part of Uttarakhand State. About 65% of the total geographical area is under forest. For myriad reasons, agriculture in hill region of the State has been at subsistence level. However, horticulture and forestry are the two major sectors that hold enormous potential for sustainable growth. With a view to develop these sectors through scientific interventions, the State Government has established Uttarakhand University of Horticulture & Forestry (UUHF) by an Act of State Legislative Assembly [The Uttarakhand Krishi Evam Prodyogik Vishwavidhyalaya (Amendment) Act, 2011 {Uttarakhand Act No.13 of 2011}] dated 28th April, 2011 with Head Quarter at Bharsar,Pauri Garhwal. The Notification No. 732/XIII-II/2011-12(02)/2011, dated 26th September, 2011 has also been issued in this regard by the State Government. With the establishment of UUHF, various campuses, Colleges, Research Centres and KVKs viz., Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali College of Horticulture, Bharsar; Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Distt. Pauri Garhwal; College of Forestry & Hill Agriculture, Ranichauri; Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Distt. Tehri Garhwal; Research Centers at Kanatal and Gaja (Tehri Garhwal) of Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology have been merged with UUHF.

The Head Quarters of the University is at Bharsar Pauri Garhwal. Its a State Government University, and is linked with the National Agriculture Research System (NARS) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The Name of The University has been changed to VCSG Uttarakhand University of Horticulture& Forestry by an amendment by the State Government vide gazette notification Number 339/XXXVI(3)/2015/89/(1) /2014 dated Januray,22,2015.