Toward the end of the 19th century, an aborted attempt was made by J. A. Gamble, the conservator of forests for
Madras Presidency, to establish a forest museum in the province. A few years later in 1902, Gamble's successor as Conservator of Forests Horace Arichibald Gass succeeded in establishing a museum for forestry. It was opened to the public 15 April 1902 by
Baron Ampthill, the then
Governor of Madras, at that point simply referred to as the Forest Museum at Coimbatore. When Gass, the first curator, retired in 1905, his successor F. A. Lodge renamed the museum in his honor. It was expanded in 1905 and 1915. In 1912, the Madras Forestry College (currently the
Tamil Nadu Forest Academy) was established in the museum grounds to train foresters. During 1942–47, the museum was closed and the buildings used as shelters for
World War II evacuees from
Malta and
Greece. After
Indian Independence in 1947, the museum came under the administration
Government of Tamil Nadu. It is currently run by the
Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), which is situated in the same campus. The museum was reopened for public on 1 May 2015 after carrying out renovation works. A 3D diorama depicting wildlife in its natural habitat has been added. ==Location==