Health Benefits (Mental, Emotional, Cognitive, Physical)

  1. COVID:  Green spaces, especially forest, reduce COVID-19 incidence, study says
  2. Improving Health and Wellness through Access to Nature.  Policy Statement & Advocacy. American Public Health Association.
  3. Researchers are amassing a body of evidence, proving what we all know to be true: nature is good for us and has both long and short term mental and physical health benefits.  HERE is one great overview article (Five Health Benefits of Green Spaces).  You’ll find hundreds of studies, articles, and case studies, organized by adult and children health topics (topics listed below) on the website of American Society of Landscape Architects (ASAL.org) 
  4. Adults' Health:  Mental Health (depression, stress, anxiety), Healthy Aging, Alzheimer’s & Dementia, Asthma & Respiratory Disorders, Cognition, General Health, Heart Health, Hospital Recovery, Obesity, PTSD, Stroke, Type II Diabetes, Well-Being/Mental Health
  5. Children's Health: ADD/ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cognition, Mental Health (depression, anxiety, stress), General Health, Nature Deficit Disorder, Obesity, Type II Diabetes, Well-Being.  
  6. Other Benefits for Children such as: Builds confidence, Promotes creativity and imagination, Teaches responsibility, Provides different stimulation, Gets kids moving, Makes them think, Reduces stress and fatigue
  7. Links with Morbidity – fewer trees have been linked to greater deaths due to lower-respiratory tract and cardiovascular illness (The relationship between trees and human health. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 2013)  
  8. Researchers found that for every 0.1 increase in green space within a third of a mile of a person’s home, there was a 4% reduction in premature death.  Research  | Synopsis    And the shape of that greenspace can make a difference as well -- less square, more benefits.  Article.
  9. Visitors to urban green space have higher sentiment and lower negativity on Twitter.  Research  |  Synopsis   And the type of green space matters as well - "Tweets during visits to Regional Parks, which are greener and have greater vegetative cover, exhibited larger increases in sentiment than tweets during visits to Civic Plazas and Squares."

Japanese "Forest Bathing" -  or being in the presence of trees - info and research.  
From 2004 to 2012, Japanese officials spent about $4 million dollars studying the physiological and psychological effects of forest bathing, designating 48 therapy trails based on the results. Qing Li, a professor at Nippon Medical School in Tokyo, measured the activity of human natural killer (NK) cells in the immune system before and after exposure to the woods. These cells provide rapid responses to viral-infected cells and respond to tumor formation, and are associated with immune system health and cancer prevention. In a 2009 study Li’s subjects showed significant increases in NK cell activity in the week after a forest visit, and positive effects lasted a month following each weekend in the woods.
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This is due to various essential oils, generally called phytoncide, found in wood, plants, and some fruit and vegetables, which trees emit to protect themselves from germs and insects. Forest air doesn’t just feel fresher and better—inhaling phytoncide seems to actually improve immune system function.
From Green Space is Good for Mental Health
Green space most strongly protects against mood disorders, depression, neurotic behavior, and stress-related issues, the study found, signaling that psychological restoration may be the strongest protective mechanism that green space offers. The effect of green space is also dose-dependent, meaning those who have longer exposures to green space have greater mental health benefits.