The Older the Better
Old growth forests offer the best environments for improving health.
By Christine Tappan
This post is dedicated to Chris Kane, 1954-2023.
Photo courtesy of Robert Llewellyn.
We leave the dirt roadway and turn to cross a small earthen bridge into the edge of the forest. As we move over the threshold and step into the deep green overstory, warm moist air envelopes us and the aroma rises up into our nostrils filling our lungs, nostrils and mouth with an array of rich smells and tastes. We walk together, sauntering, noticing, smelling, and feeling. The trees gradually become taller and taller, eventually towering well over a hundred feet above the flowers and beings on the forest’s floor. Birds sing, animals scurry, bugs buzz by, and we continue to stroll slowly just noticing and being with the nature around us. We arrive at the edge of a small stream and are invited to select a spot to sit and be with the water. As we settle into our selected seats, we’re offered the opportunity to close our eyes and tune into the sounds around us. The trickling of the water gently moving over the rocks and logs in the stream washes over me and I begin to relax in way I’ve not experienced since childhood. I feel welcomed and caressed – so at ease – at peace in this very special place. My body responds as my heart rate slows, my nervous system rebalances, and my brain responds to a surge of oxytocin. Quietly, my immune system is also getting recharged and my racing mind eases to a very pleasant state of presence – a desire to just be here – now.
This is the experience of Forest Bathing in an old growth forest.
Photo courtesy of Robert Llewellyn.
The concept of Forest Bathing, also known as Forest Therapy or Shinrin Yoku, is gaining global recognition as an evidence-based approach to wellness and health. Forest Bathing sessions consist of gentle walks in which a guide uses a range of techniques aimed primarily at slowing people down from what has become a “normal” frenetic pace and calling attention to sensory experiences of the forest and its environment. The documented benefits of Forest Therapy includes: reduced stress, improved immune system functioning, lowered blood pressure, enhanced creativity, improved memory and attention span and improved mood. Just 20 minutes a day can result in benefits that last up to a week!
Photo courtesy of Robert Llewellyn.
Trails used for forest therapy can be in backyards, local, state or national parks, and more traditional settings, like arboretums and botanical gardens, while other places might include spas, hospital gardens, farms, urban parks, retreat centers, and many more. Research from Japan, Korea, and around the world has shown the older the forest, the more profound and long lasting the positive effects of forest therapy will be on human well-being.
Photo courtesy of Robert Llewellyn.
More recently, trails around the world have begun to be assessed and certified as having desirable characteristics for an optimal forest bathing experience. Many are in old growth forests where there’s an opportunity to experience more robust benefits. These trails go through a rigorous assessment of a range of areas such as accessibility, safety, biodiversity, natural features, and management. Additionally, how the infrastructure and signage can promote both guided and self-guided Forest Therapy experiences on the trail is considered. Trail certification provides a new method for engaging diverse community members, public health providers and patients, national and international tourists, and a wide array of partners in the development and implementation of Certified Forest Therapy Trail systems. Health care organizations, employee wellness programs, municipalities and park systems, public and private forest land managers, universities, organizations that promote healthy living, and many more, are potential partners for developing Forest Therapy programs and trails. Maintaining signage promoting designated Forest Therapy Trails increases public awareness of the health benefits of being in forests – and of the need to protect and ensure safe access to old growth environments.
Christine Tappan is a certified Trail Consultant through Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Programs (ANFT). Christine is the founder and lead guide for BirchWalking, a social impact organization that “brings beings together in nature and creates safe spaces to deepen connections that promote resiliency and capacity for all to thrive and live well”.