Abstract
In this paper the scientific literature on the association between forests, stress relief and relaxation is reviewed with the purpose to understand common patterns of research, the main techniques used for analysis, findings relevant to forest-therapy-oriented management, and knowledge gaps. The database of studies was collected with a keyword search on the Web, which returned a set of 32 studies that were included in the analysis. The main findings and patterns were identified with a text mining analysis of the abstract to search for keyword patterns across studies. The analysis indicates that most studies compared rest and relaxation performances across urban and forest environments and used a combination of self-reported measure of stress or rest collected with validate scales, e.g., the Profile of Mood of States (POMS) and the Restoration Outcome Scale (ROS), and a minority-only set of these two groups of indicators. Results of this review indicate that primary studies identified a positive association between forest exposure and mental well-being, in particular when compared to urban environments, thus suggesting that forest are effective in lowering stress levels. This study found that, to date, the characteristics of forests and characteristics of the visit are little investigated in the literature. For this reason, more research with a focus on forest variables such as tree species composition, tree density and other variables affecting forest landscape should be further investigated to inform forest management. Similarly, the characteristics of the visits (e.g., length of visit and frequency) should be further explored to provide robust forest therapy guidelines.
Highlights
Recreation is a very important ecosystem service provided by natural areas
With respect to forest types, mixed and coniferous forests are often preferred destinations for recreational purposes compared to broadleaf forests [4,5], while canopy cover has been found to influence recreation based on transport and access to forests, with lower canopy cover preferred by motorized recreationalists and higher density cover by non-motorized visitors [6]
The analysis considers stress indicators, forest stands, and forest characteristics associated with relaxation, as well as interesting avenues for future research
Summary
Recreation is a very important ecosystem service provided by natural areas. Forested areas provide countless recreational opportunities such as hiking, picnicking, mushroom and berry picking, biking and horse riding. For this reason, there is an increasing trend in forest management to leave some forested areas as dedicated areas for recreation. The propensity of a forest for recreation is highly specific [1]. Previous research highlighted the importance of forest structure for recreation; in particular, it has been observed that tree species composition, forest cover and forest structure are important variables [2,3]. With respect to forest types, mixed and coniferous forests are often preferred destinations for recreational purposes compared to broadleaf forests [4,5], while canopy cover has been found to influence recreation based on transport and access to forests, with lower canopy cover preferred by motorized recreationalists and higher density cover by non-motorized visitors [6]
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