Woolbank Makes Conservation Accessible

Advancing agroforestry through hands-on education, ecological restoration, and community collaboration. we bring farmers, conservation professionals, and communities together to explore how working landscapes can support healthy ecosystems and meaningful livelihoods.

Woolbank’s Agroforestry Apprenticeship Program provides hands-on, technical training in agroforestry systems including alley cropping, forest farming, and riparian zone management.

Apprentices gain practical experience in forest and nursery operations, crop cultivation, habitat restoration, introductory forestry, and conservation planning to support soil health, nutrient cycling, and long-term sustainability.

The core of the program consists of 2,000 hours of paid, on-the-job training at Woolbank Forest Farm complemented by 144 hours of related technical instruction delivered through a mix of in-person workshops, ecological field sessions, and classroom-based learning. Apprentices are employed full-time while developing the skills needed to support productive, resilient agroforestry and conservation operations, with opportunities for continued growth upon program completion.

This program is funded by the PA-SMART Supporting Agriculture Grant Program by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (DLI).

Applications closed- check back for 2027 openings.

Meet The Team!

JESSE GAFNER- Farm Crew Manager

Jesse graduated from Slippery Rock University with a degree in Geography and a concentration in Environmental Studies & Sustainability. He has a background in invasive species removal, plant identification, and crew supervision in our region’s wildest places! Outside of work, Jesse enjoys hunting, aquascaping, and spending time outdoors, which deepens his connection to the landscapes he manages.

ELENA LUCAS- Farm Project Coordinator

Elena graduated from Slippery Rock University in 2026 with a degree in Parks and Resource Management. As a previous Trails and Habitat Management Intern at the Robert A. Macoskey Center, she has a deep passion for environmental justice and sustainability. With her love for the outdoors, Elena is an avid nature photographer and enjoys hiking, reading, traveling, and landscaping with native species.

AMBER MARSHALL- Agroforestry Apprentice

Amber graduated from Mercyhurst University in 2022 with a degree in Environmental Science. As a previous food banker and VISTA, she has a great passion for community work and sustainable food systems. When she’s not on the farm or in the forest, you can find her lifting heavy at the gym or birdwatching!

ALANNA BARTO- Agroforestry Apprentice

Alanna has spent much of her free time exploring her passion for the environment. She is an avid gardener, focusing on growing foods that she can harvest and use to feed her family throughout the year and into the next growing season. She also cares deeply about the natural wildlife around her, growing a native wildflower garden at her home and helping transform a family member's yard into a protected wildlife habitat. When she isn't working, you can find her reading, painting, coaching color guard, hiking, or spending time in the gym!

Jasmine Thompson- Executive Director

Jasmine Thompson is an agricultural conservation leader, program director, and entrepreneur with extensive experience in agroforestry, sustainable agriculture, workforce development, and community-centered environmental initiatives.

Jasmine currently directs Woolbank's agricultural programming and resource development, overseeing agroforestry operations, grant-funded conservation initiatives, and has registered Pennsylvania's first Forest and Conservation Specialist apprenticeship program. Her work integrates ecological stewardship, agricultural enterprise development, workforce training, and organizational leadership to expand opportunities for economically viable and environmentally responsible land management.

As Associate Director of Conservation Technical Assistance at Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, Jasmine directed technical assistance operations for the $59 million USDA-funded Advancing Markets for Producers initiative, coordinating agricultural conservation implementation across 16 states from Maine to South Carolina. Her leadership encompassed forestry and agroforestry practices, conservation planning, farmer engagement, environmental compliance, the supervision of regional technical assistance teams, and the equitable delivery of agricultural resources to diverse farming communities.

Previously, Jasmine founded and directed Philly Forests, a Philadelphia-based urban agroforestry and conservation enterprise, where she managed an eight-acre diversified farm and tree nursery, advanced urban forestry and riparian restoration initiatives, and developed agricultural education and community engagement programs.

Environmental Storytelling

Reconnecting land, memory, and people through place-based storytelling.

At Woolbank, we believe that conservation is a narrative Act. We uplift the voices and stories of landworkers, naturalists, and generational conservationists through creative media and public engagement.

The way we talk about land, water, and resilience shapes how we steward them. Our storytelling initiative explores the emotional and historical dimensions of ecological life through visual media, writing, and community-centered documentation.

IN DEVELOPMENT
Where the Water Used to Be: Water Memory and the Human Psyche

A short experimental film and companion essay exploring ecological trauma and ancestral memory in the disappearing prairie streams of western Kansas. This project draws a parallel between the loss of flowing water and the erasure of Exoduster histories, centered through the voices of Black farmers carrying both legacies forward.

IN DEVELOPMENT- Yolk Lore

Yolk Lore is a visual journey into the quiet revolution inside the egg. From sun-drenched pastures to industrial barns, this project cracks open the myths, labels, and lives behind one of the world’s most familiar foods. Through intimate portraits, field notes, and candid moments, Yolk Lore explores what it means to nourish — and be nourished — in an age of ethical eating, climate change, and rural resilience.

2026 Agroforestry Volunteer Day

A day of learning, harvesting, and tending the land together. Volunteers joined the Woolbank team to explore agroforestry in practice, inoculate mushroom logs, and gather the season’s bounty while building connections with the land and one another. Trees and materials funded in part by the Catalyzing Agroforestry Grant Program.