Agroforestry Apprenticeship Program

As the State of New York sets ambitious goals for planting trees on rural and urban landscapes for water protection, carbon sequestration, food production and a host of other benefits, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County (CCE Tompkins) is excited to announce a pilot apprenticeship program in collaboration with Wellspring Forest Farm and Interlace Commons. Apprentices will learn the basics of agroforestry and gain on-the-job training in two possible career paths essential to scaling agroforestry efforts: tree nursery production, and tree planting and management. Apprenticeship applications will open in Fall 2025, for the 2026 pilot apprentice cohort.

The program will approach tree planting and nursery skills through the lens of agroforestry, by providing apprentices with a thorough grounding in agroforestry system planning and design. During the dormant winter months of 2026, apprentices will be taught fundamentals of tree management through online and in-person coursework so that by early spring they are ready to start at either a tree nursery site or with a tree planting contractor. Up to ten paid apprentices will be hosted by existing nurseries and tree planting contractors in New York and surrounding states. A mentor will be available to support each apprentice throughout the program.

CCE Tompkins currently seeks additional host sites. Hosts will have the capacity to provide paid apprentice(s) with on-the-job training and a good working environment at a living demonstration site during the 2026 growing season. Hosts must have the administrative capacity to hire the apprentice(s) with funding support from CCE Tompkins. Potential hosts without administrative capacity to hire may be eligible to serve remotely as apprentice mentors.

Agroforestry developed as a set of indigenous land-use practices over thousands of years across our global community. Agroforestry utilizes trees, crops, and livestock in intimate combinations to produce positive ecological, social, and economic outcomes. The USDA recognizes five agroforestry practices: alley cropping, forest farming, riparian buffers, silvopasture, and windbreaks.

If you are interested in becoming an agroforestry apprentice please fill out the Apprentice Interest Form. If you are interested in serving as a site host for an apprentice, or as a mentor, please click and fill out the Host & Mentor Interest Form. For further questions about the program, contact Holly Payne at hp67@cornell.edu. The apprenticeship application process will start in fall 2025 (to select the 2026 cohort).