By Olivia Witthun, DNR Urban Forestry Coordinator, Plymouth, Olivia.Witthun@wisconsin.gov or 414-750-8744

September is back to school month. How do you get those kids to settle down and focus after three months off? The answer is as simple as walking right outside your front door! Exposure to nature has been shown to positively impact students, from improved academic performance and focus, to reduced Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms. 

Research has demonstrated that exposure to nature during school hours is positively associated with academic performance, including standardized test scores, graduation rates and plans to attend a four-year college. Among girls, greener views from home increase the ability to concentrate and foster self-discipline, which enables them to perform better in school. 

Continue reading “Encourage Student Success With Trees In Your Neighborhood” →

In April, a study based in Milwaukee County was released showing an association between proximity to green spaces and lower odds of stroke. Researchers with Advocate Aurora Health found that people who live near green spaces in Milwaukee County were 19% less likely to have a stroke than those with less green space nearby.

Learn more about the study in an article by Matt Martinez writing for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. The journal article is available here.

This new study is one of thousands that have shaped our understanding of the extraordinary health benefits of urban trees and green spaces. Urban nature has reduced cardiovascular disease, mental illness, ADHD, diabetes, respiratory illness and asthma; supports immune function and family dynamics; increases healthy birth weight and opportunities for physical activity; and much more.

To learn more about the health benefits of urban nature, visit the DNR’s “Good Health Grows on Trees” webpage.

April 26-30 is Every Kid Healthy Week. This national celebration promotes the importance of well-rounded health in children – not just physical, but also social and emotional health. One easy way to maintain each of these types of health is to spend time outside. Spending time among trees is scientifically proven to reduce stress and boost the immune system. When kids appreciate the benefits trees provide not just us, but also our planet, it can start them on the path of lifelong love for the natural world.

Each year the last day of Every Kid Healthy Week also happens to be Arbor Day! In Wisconsin, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) helps celebrate Arbor Day with an environmental education program designed to teach students the importance of trees. We provide thousands of free tree seedlings to Wisconsin fourth grade students for this celebration on a yearly basis.

Continue reading “Every Kid Healthy Week” →

By Gabriele Edwards, Urban Forestry Program Specialist, Iowa DNR

As the temperature drops and sunlight decreases, deciduous trees shed their leaves and focus on internal storage and conserving resources. Our behavior often mirrors that of a dormant tree. It is easy to shed our active, outdoor lifestyle in favor of lounging under blankets and remaining sedentary most of the day.

This typically results in added “resources” (aka those pesky extra winter pounds) due to lack of activity and extra stress associated with the holidays and year-end deadlines. Unlike those powered-down trees, we need to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle throughout the colder months to keep ourselves physically, mentally and emotionally powered-up. 

Continue reading “Trees Go Dormant In The Winter But Your Healthy Lifestyle Shouldn’t” →

By Patricia Lindquist, DNR Urban Forestry Communications Specialist based in Madison, patricia.lindquist@wisconsin.gov or 608-843-6248 

The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a serious toll on our mental health. Many of us are feeling lonely and isolated due to social distancing. Some of us have lost our jobs, some have lost access to schooling and some have lost beloved friends and family members.

Stress, anxiety and depression are on the rise. The numbers are truly staggering. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people reporting symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder during the pandemic. Pre-pandemic, from January to June 2019, 11% of adults reported these symptoms. In recent months, these figures have more than tripled. The weekly average for May 2020 was 34.5%; the weekly average for June was 36.5%; and the weekly average for July was 40.1%. In addition, a recent study reported that 13.3% of adults have begun or increased their use of substances to cope with the stress of COVID-19, and 10.7% of adults have thought of suicide in the last 30 days.

Continue reading “Trees Support Mental Health During COVID-19” →

By Jane Raffaldi, New York Department of Environmental Conservation

As leaves change this time of year, it’s obvious that urban trees make our communities more beautiful, but did you know they also make our neighborhood streets safer? Streets lined with trees tend to encourage slower driving and statistically have less accidents than those without. And it’s not just speeds that are lowered by their presence – they also contribute to lower stress levels in drivers, leading to less road rage.

How does a simple stretch of trees have such a magical impact? According to the Federal Highway Administration, the presence of tree canopy along a street provides a narrowing speed control measure by creating a “psycho-perceptive sense of enclosure” that discourages speeding.

When drivers feel like they’re in a smaller, closed space – like a tunnel or a canopied street – they drive slower than when driving through open areas. Additionally, the presence of greenery naturally calms us whether we are consciously looking at it or not.

Continue reading “Urban Forests Make Safer Streets” →

The newly launched Healthy Trees, Healthy Lives website (https://healthytreeshealthylives.org/) is an excellent source of information on the health benefits of trees. The website was developed by the Southern Group of State Foresters Urban and Community Forestry Committee and funded through a Landscape Scale Restoration grant.

The Health Benefits section of the website divides 14 benefits into 4 categories: physical (skin, heart, lungs, pregnancies/newborns, comfort/heat reduction, nutrition, fitness), mental (peace of mind, vitality, brain), healing (fighting power, healing, health), and financial (healthcare savings). Each benefit is described in a sentence or two, and links to published research papers on each benefit are included.

Continue reading “Healthy Trees, Healthy Lives website” →

As the hilarious, award-winning Nature RX video series points out, spending time in nature is a potent “drug” for alleviating the day-to-day stress we all face. It is also a powerful way to combat anxiety, depression, and mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. The average American is sorely in need of the stress-relieving boost provided by trees. Eighty percent of American adults are afflicted by stress; forty million are affected by anxiety disorders, and nearly sixteen million experience major depression each year.

In recent years, the medical community has been increasingly recognizing the importance of trees to mental health. A growing number of scientists have been studying and documenting the health benefits of trees. For example, one study found that a 25% increase in neighborhood tree canopy was associated with a 1-point decrease on a 5-point scale for depression, anxiety and stress. Another study analyzed MRI scans of the brains of urban residents who live close to a forest. These residents were found to have an amygdala structure that is associated with a greater ability to cope with stress. (Source)

Continue reading “Urban forests support mental health” →

By Robert Allard, Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator, Rhode Island DEM

This year, as families all over the country spend more time at home, we have been given the opportunity to appreciate the fresh air that we can enjoy on our own back porches and front stoops more than ever.  Trees are a significant factor contributing to the quality of the air we breathe. Recent research shows that even relatively small trees bring benefits to their neighborhoods. Just a single tree has the potential to filter up to one third of fine particulates such as dust, dirt, soot, and smoke within 300 yards, and can reduce particulate matter inside homes by as much as 60%.

Continue reading “Trees for clean air” →

Thanks to the efforts of researchers over the past few decades, we have a solid understanding of the ecological benefits of urban forests, such as reduced greenhouse gases, decreased stormwater runoff, and lessening of the urban heat island effect. In contrast, knowledge of the human health benefits of urban forests is still developing. Existing reviews of health benefits have focused more broadly on nature, green space, and greenness rather than concentrating specifically on urban trees.

To address this gap, a team of scientists reviewed the existing quantitative research on the relationships between urban trees and human health. Their findings were published last month in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in the article Urban Trees and Human Health: A Scoping Review.  

Continue reading “First comprehensive review of the health impacts of urban trees published” →