Community Forestry
Holden Arboretum Consulting Forestry
Holden Arboretum Consulting Forestry is a professional consulting business operating out of Holden Forests & Gardens. We partner with landowners to meet their goals and manage their forests sustainably.
Proceeds aid in HF&G’s efforts to increase forest health, resilience, and biodiversity across the region.
As of 2025, we are excited to launch this new consulting forestry venture, which builds on decades of conservation, forestry, and outreach efforts at Holden by taking our expertise beyond the Arboretum’s natural areas and into our communities.
Forestry Services
We provide guidance to help you reach your goals, whether you’re seeking to improve your property’s value, keep your forest healthy, or want to take advantage of cost-share or tax-reduction programs. Services we provide include:
- Woodland Management Plans to meet goals such as…
- Invasive species management
- Wildlife habitat
- Reforestation planting plans
- Timber stand improvement and more!
- Forest farming consultation & planning
- Carbon market enrollment in the Family Forest Carbon Program
- Tax-incentive & cost-share program guidance
Meet Our Foresters
Jessica Miller Mecaskey
Jessica is a forestry and natural resource professional with diverse experiences and knowledge of Ohio woodland ecosystems, skilled in forest management from every part of the management cycle. She currently assists landowners as a Consulting Forester out of the Holden Arboretum, assisting private woodland owners to meet their goals to keep their forests thriving.
Patrick O’Reilly
Patrick is one of the Consulting Forester in the Working Woods Hub. Patrick holds an Associates of Applied Science Degree in Forest Management as well as Occupational Certification in Timber Harvesting and Tree Care from Hocking Technical College. Prior to starting his career at HF&G, he worked as a Procurement Forester in the hardwood lumber industry since 2017.
Service Area
We serve the communities and forests of Northeast Ohio but will travel farther on a case-by-case basis. Reach out and we’ll determine if our services are right for your woodland.
Interested in a complimentary site-visit or a chat about how we can partner to achieve your goals? Email [email protected] or submit an interest form.
Get startedAbout Forest Management Plans
To get where you want to go, you need a roadmap of how to get there!
A forest management plan can benefit you by…
- Providing a road map and timeline for improving woodland health and value
- Determining the activities necessary for achieving your goals
- Informing you of both the limitations and opportunities of your land
- In many cases, qualifying you for a lower property tax rate by showing the agricultural value of your trees
- Meeting the requirements of multiple voluntary programs that provide benefits such as reducing the cost of management
*Tax-reduction and cost-share programs like OTFL, EQIP and CAUV do have limitations on eligibility that include forest size. We can help you determine if you are eligible for these programs and help you navigate applications.
A forest management plan includes:
- Property description and maps: soils, topography, hydrologic features (wetlands/streams), proposed management units
- Identification and description of natural resources concerns
- Stand-level information including descriptions (species, community composition, tree size and health etc.), desired future condition, and management suggestions
- Timetables for activities such as wildlife habitat improvement, thinning, invasive shrub management etc.
- Descriptions of management activities and suggestions on how to accomplish them (including which practices are potentially eligible for governmental cost-share programs)
Each plan’s scope depends on the goals you have for your property and the level of detail you would like. A Forest Management Plan might also include:
- Timber harvest assessment (stocking levels, harvest type and timing prescriptions)
- Wildlife habitat enhancement plans
- Tree planting plans and species lists
- Edge-feathering plans
- Non-timber forest product / forest farming site assessment
- Option for Holden to manage subcontracts with natural resource service providers who can complete actual management activities
