Forest Therapy Benefit Reference List

Reference list of scientific evidence highlighting the benefits of Forest Therapy:

G.N. Bratman, J.P. Hamilton, K.S. Hahn, G.C. Daily, J.J. Gross. (2015) Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 112 (28) (2015) https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1510459112

Mark A. Flynn, Emery Veilleux, Alexandru Stana, A post from the woods: Social media, well-being and our connection to the natural world, Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 5, (100171), (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2022.100171

Browning, Matthew & Lee, Kangjae & Wolf, Kathleen. (2019). Tree cover shows an inverse relationship with depressive symptoms in elderly residents living in U.S. nursing homes. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. 41. 10.1016/j.ufug.2019.03.002. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331509064_Tree_cover_shows_an_inverse_relationship_with_depressive_symptoms_in_elderly_residents_living_in_US_nursing_homes

Lee, I., Choi, H., Bang, K. S., Kim, S., Song, M., & Lee, B. (2017). Effects of Forest Therapy on Depressive Symptoms among Adults: A Systematic Review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 14(3), 321. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14030321

Hunter, M. R., Gillespie, B. W., & Chen, S. Y. (2019). Urban Nature Experiences Reduce Stress in the Context of Daily Life Based on Salivary Biomarkers. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 722. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00722

Westlund S. 'Becoming human again': Exploring connections between nature and recovery from stress and post-traumatic distress. Work. 2015;50(1):161-74. doi: 10.3233/WOR-141934. PMID: 25167913. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25167913/

Stigsdotter UK, Corazon SS, Sidenius U, Nyed PK, Larsen HB, Fjorback LO. Efficacy of nature-based therapy for individuals with stress-related illnesses: randomised controlled trial. Br J Psychiatry. 2018 Jul;213(1):404-411. doi: 10.1192/bjp.2018.2. Epub 2018 May 25. PMID: 29793558. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29793558/

Roslund, M. I., Puhakka, R., Nurminen, N., Oikarinen, S., Siter, N., Grönroos, M., ... & Vari, H. K. (2021). Long-term biodiversity intervention shapes health-associated commensal microbiota among urban day-care children. Environment International, 157, 106811. https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/sciadv.aba2578