Being in the forest—A matter of cultural connections with a natural environment

Abstract

Societal Impact StatementForests have a positive impact on the health and well‐being of humans. In this study, examination of the human–forest relationship reveals that the experience of being in a forest produces a larger, more nuanced, response than the simple experience of being in a forest itself. This larger experience can encompass an individual's past experiences, childhood memories, history, and connections to cultural representations, which signify a sense of belonging to the ‘more‐than‐human’ world. Insight into the relationships that humans have with forest environments will be important to educators and those wishing to draw attention to the botanical world. Summary It is known that forests have a positive impact on human health and well‐being. The aim of this study was to examine human relationships with forest environments on a different level. Specifically, how people in western Sweden relate to a particular place in a forest. Data were collected using a questionnaire placed on a tree located in a specific forest setting over the course of a year. The results were examined from a phenomenological (the philosophical study of the structures of experience and consciousness) life‐world perspective that highlights the intersubjectivity and historicity of people's connections to a forest environment. The results reveal that the experience of ‘being’ or ‘doing’ in a forest produces a larger, more nuanced, response than the simple experience itself. This complex response includes an individual's previous experiences, childhood memories, history and connections to cultural representations. Examining and understanding more deeply the relationships that humans have with forests is important for those that aim to engage people with forests and the botanical world.