We’re on PBS! Learn more about Holden’s people and places seen on “By Nature’s Design”

September 21, 2026

The experts and forests of Holden Forests & Gardens appeared on the PBS Western Reserve’s docuseries, “BY NATURE’S DESIGN,” which premiered this weekend. Season 2, “Inside the Forests,” showcases a favorite ecosystem across northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania.

In the first episode, “Floor to Foliage,” we heard from plant ecologist and HF&G Director of Research Katie Stuble about what makes a forest a forest, why forests are important, and what threatens our forests today. She and Conservation Manager Andy Lance showed us a few native wildflowers blooming on the forest floor in Bole Woods, one of the Holden Arboretum’s natural areas.

Learn more below about the people and places featured in the show!

Katie Stuble, Ph.D.

Director of Research

Katie is an ecologist at the Holden Arboretum’s Center for Plant and Environmental Science. She studies the communities of plants in our forests and other ecosystems, and is interested in how diversity — the number and variety of species — is maintained. Her research is focused on threats to biodiversity like climate change and invasive species, and how these threats are affecting our forests already and how they might be mitigated through management.

Andy Lance

Conservation Manager

Andy knows the natural areas at the Holden Arboretum better than anyone. He has worked in the forests of the Great Lakes for years, and enjoys drawing connections between the latest ecological research and on-the-ground land management. The Conservation team at HF&G manages the Arboretum’s natural areas while also running outreach programs to inspire and equip our region for conservation.

Bole Woods

Holden Arboretum

Bole Woods is one of the Arboretum’s oldest forests — last year it and Stebbins Gulch were inducted into the Old Growth Forest Network. Visitors can access the mature beech-maple forest via the Bole Woods Loop trail east from the Corning Lake Loop. It’s a great place to enjoy the arrival of fall foliage, and be sure to come back in spring for a show from the spring ephemeral wildflowers you saw in Episode 1.

Plan Your Visit: Holden Arboretum Trail & Garden Map

The Stuble Lab uses the forest at Bole Woods to study phenology, or the timing of different life stages of plants. Their work on spring ephemeral wildflowers is revealing how phenology is responding to climate change. The Burke Lab has studied life underground, exploring how effects of acid rain on the soil has impacted the forest.

Long Center for Plant & Environmental Science

Holden Arboretum

Katie’s interview took place in the greenhouse at the Ellen Corning Long and T. Dixon Long Center for Plant and Environmental Science at the Holden Arboretum. Scientists at the Center conduct nationally recognized research on plants and forests. In episode 1, behind Katie you can see eastern hemlocks being used by the team to better understand the invasive pest, hemlock woolly adelgid, and whether some trees are genetically more resistant to its effects.

Check back after future episodes to learn more!

Want to get involved in conserving northeast Ohio’s forests?

Look for volunteer opportunities at the Holden Arboretum and the Cleveland Botanical Garden at HF&G’s volunteer page. And if you own a woodland and would like to learn more about caring for your woods, visit the Working Woods Hub page to get started.

Anna Funk, PhD

Science Communications Specialist

Anna Funk is the Science Communication Specialist for Holden Forests & Gardens. She earned her Ph.D. studying prairie restoration before leaving the research world to help tell scientists’ stories. Today, she wears many hats, working as a writer, editor, journalist and more — anything that lets her share her appreciation of science and its impact with others.

Learn more about me

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