Staff Spotlight: Paul Vanderford
There aren’t enough hours in a day for all there is to learn from Paul Vanderford. From his time spent in South Africa to his experience in policy, Paul is an important figure both within and beyond Sustainable Northwest.
Paul was born in Lafayette, IN and was raised in Minneapolis, MN. With a cabin on the lake, Paul spent a lot of time outdoors, with his parents — both biologists — stringing him and his brother along on camping trips.
After undergrad, he studied the human aspects of natural resource management in South Africa — just as the apartheid government ended and efforts to make natural resource ownership more equitable were underway.
“I worked with ranchers and water users to figure out a public process to reallocate water rights to meet both ecological needs and human needs.”
Paul came back, and his path towards a career in wood markets began at the Rainforest Alliance, where he advised and ran audits on companies that sold FSC-certified wood. He moved to Portland to run a newly-opened regional office that serviced about 160 businesses that bought and sold wood products, from sawmills to paper companies.
It was around then that Paul met Chad Davis, who was Sustainable Northwest’s Forest Stewardship Director. Chad wanted to help businesses address market demand for sustainable wood products, and with Paul’s help, the first FSC-Group Certification Program in North America was born. Sustainable Northwest then hired Paul to oversee the program. “I got tired of telling people they’re doing things wrong and wanted to be on the side of helping people do things right, so I took a job at Sustainable Northwest.”
As the Wood Markets Program Director, he oversees staff, builds relationships and works with partners and funders, and supports locally and Tribally owned forests — work that’s both meaningful and empowering. “I think my work allows people to stop being afraid and allows people to start understanding that they can have a positive footprint, that they can be intentional, that they can live their lives in a way that celebrates the human connection to landscapes.”
For Paul, working for Sustainable Northwest is also a way to address a host of challenges facing people, communities, and nature. “For me the inspiring thing is, if we succeed, we’re delivering value to a suite of major social issues that creates jobs, sustainability, and a beautiful environment with better habitat for species that we care about.”
Away from the office or his computer, Paul loves spending time outdoors with his family, whether that’s picking berries, fishing, or camping. Paul’s also a longtime hunter, and he has recently enjoyed hunting with his new Pointing Labrador, who he says still has a lot of natural skill to bring out.
