Ben Addlestone
Ben Addlestone has a BS and MS in Forestry from the University of Vermont and North Carolina State University, respectively. His graduate work focused on temperate silvopastoral systems in conjunction with the departments of Crop and Animal Science and the Center for Environmental Farming Systems. Ben has over 20 years of experience in the plant and environmental sciences that includes field and laboratory as well as domestic and international-based experience working with non-profits, for-profits, academia and government. Ben has spent over five years developing agroforestry projects in Central Africa focusing on watershed restoration, small-holder and community-based agriculture and livelihoods development. Ben has extensive experience in forest certification and standards development which has included working with the Forest Stewardship Council-U.S. to develop regional standards for responsible forest management. In addition, Ben has worked for the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries in the arena of plant bio-security as well as establishing Forest Inventory Analysis plots for the USFS.
Domestically, Ben works with university, state and federal government, NGOs and other stakeholders and partners, to promote agroforestry as a tool and incentive for land conservation and increased livelihoods in Virginia. Work includes landscape analysis, modeling, developing procedural documents, and research. Ben also partners with the U.S. Forest Service to research tree species with non-timber importance to be included in the Forest Atlas of the United States.
Internationally, in conjunction with academic institutions and international partners, Ben works with non-profits, community-based organizations, and farmers, primarily in Western Cameroon, utilizing agroforestry technologies to increase their capacity for effective long-term forestry, agriculture, animal husbandry, wildlife conservation, watershed restoration, and livelihoods projects at the local and landscape-levels. Work entails a transparent and participatory approach that focuses on collaboration, capacity building, scientific research, and training in order to achieve long-term and sustained results. Work involves participation of all stakeholders throughout project life cycles and understands adapting perspectives and changing social dimensions are important considerations for long-term success and adoption.