Tree Campus Healthcare Program
This program recognizes health institutions that make a mission-aligned impact on community wellness through tree education, investment, and community engagement.
Public Health
In the past ten years, increasing evidence has supported the assertion that trees benefit human mental and physical well being in myriad ways. After spending time in well-canopied greenspaces, people self-report an increase in energy and feelings of happiness, and experience diminished feelings of anxiety, brain fog, anger, and depression. Trees muffle noise pollution, absorb air pollution, moderate extreme temperatures, and provide shade and sanctuary. Some cities have orchard projects, which plant food trees as a way to provide cheap, local, and fresh food to residents. As urban populations continue to swell, trees and natural areas can no longer be viewed as a luxury, with only aesthetic and beautification value. They are increasingly acknowledged as a core strategy for improving public health and well being, and an essential component of livable communities.
Planting Healthy Air
This report from The Nature Conservancy quantifies the health benefits of trees for 245 cities globally.
Making the Connection between Trees and Public Health through Park Rx
Park Rx America is about getting healthcare providers to write medical prescriptions to visit parks and natural areas. The concept is to leverage the trust-filled relationship between patient and doctor to get the patient outside in a nature-rich environment.
Maryland: Trees, Veterans, and Public Health
The Maryland Forest Service works with a range of veterans facilities to plant trees and utilize the health benefits trees provide. One facility, Perry Point VA Medical Center, became the first recognized Arbor Day Foundation Tree Campus in Healthcare.
Healthy Trees, Healthy Lives
The Southern Group of State Foresters bring stories, resources, and information into this engaging website on the benefits of healthy trees and urban forests.
Research: Urban Nature for Human Health and Well Being
A comprehensive review of research studies that demonstrate the impact of urban forests and green space on human physical and mental health.
Green Cities: Good Health – Research Findings
This web site provides an overview of the scientific evidence of human health and well-being benefits provided by urban forestry and urban greening.
