Forest Management Can Influence Health Benefits of Forests

A large-scale international study demonstrates how specific forest characteristics—such as canopy density and tree species diversity—affect various health outcomes. This research, conducted by Ghent University and a range of international partners within the Dr. Forest Research project in 164 forests across five European countries, offers valuable insights for forest management and urban planning. The paper is published in Nature Sustainability and you can read it here.

Forest Characteristics and Their Impact on Health

The study examined seven ecological characteristics of forests and their influence on different health effects. Key findings include:

• Tree species diversity has a weak but predominantly positive effect on health and well-being. Increasing tree species richness is therefore considered a safe and beneficial intervention for forest managers, which also provides multiple co-benefits beyond human health such as supporting associated non-tree biodiversity.
• Forest structure is the most influential factor, particularly canopy densityHowever, there is no ideal density level because it generates both benefits and drawbacks:
  • A dense canopy reduces heat stress by providing more shade and creating a more stable microclimate. This effect is particularly crucial in urban areas where heatwaves are more frequent.
  • A dense canopy improves air quality by increasing leaf surface area for fine particulate matter deposition, which has been shown to reduce airborne pollutants.
  • However, a dense canopy also leads to less light reaching the forest floor, which can hinder the growth of medicinal plants, affecting their potential health benefits.
  • Increased canopy density also elevates the risk of Lyme disease, as higher humidity levels favor tick abundance.
• The perceived biodiversity of a forest significantly influences psychological well-being. People experience a forest as healthier when they perceive it as diverse, even if this is not captured by the actual tree species diversity. 

An Innovative and Interdisciplinary Approach

This study stands out due to:

1. A focus on manageable forest characteristics, providing concrete guidelines for forest managers instead of treating forests as homogeneous entities.
2. Interdisciplinary collaboration between forest ecologists, medical experts, and psychologists, ensuring robust and widely accepted results.
3. Extensive geographical coverage, with field research conducted in five European countries, enhancing the generalizability of the findings.
4. Mechanistic modeling, allowing researchers to examine not just correlations but also the underlying processes linking forest characteristics to health effects.
5. Comparison of multiple health pathways, revealing trade-offs between different health benefits that would not be apparent in isolated studies.

Practical Implications for Forest Management and Urban Planning

The results highlight that there is no 'ideal forest'—the health benefits of a forest depend on local priorities. In urban environments, priorities may include heat reduction and air quality improvement, while in rural landscapes where there is an active foraging culture, the priority may be to reduce the prevalence of Lyme disease and to increase the yield of medicinal plants. This research provides policymakers and forest managers with concrete strategies to design forests that align with the specific health needs of different regions.

Contact:

Dr. Loïc Gillerot

Loic.gillerot@cerac.belgium.be

0491649452

Professor Kris Verheyen

Kris.Verheyen@ugent.be

+32472362269

Maarten De Coninck

Communications Manager

Maarten.Deconinck@ugent.be

+32478035446

Project Partners

• Geobotany, University of Freiburg, Germany
• Institute of Forest Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
• Department of Environmental Health. Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
• Environmental Sciences, Université Catholique de Louvain- Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
• BOS+ Vlaanderen, Gontrode, Belgium.
• Forest & Nature – Ghent University, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium.
• Forest, Nature & Landscape, KU Leuven, Belgium.
• Biodiversity, Genes and Communities (BIOGECO), INRAE, Cestas, France.
• Institute of Psychology, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
• German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research: iDiv – Ecosystem Services, Leipzig, Germany.
• Forest Research Institute Baden-Wuerttemberg, Freiburg, Germany.
• Białowieża Geobotanical Station, University of Warsaw, Białowieża, Poland.