"Overview of International Forest Healing Trends" Published by National Institute of Forest Science

Cover of the Collection of Overseas Cases on Medical-Linked Services Utilizing Forest Resources. Provided by the National Institute of Forest Science

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The National Institute of Forest Science has published two research papers that provide information on overseas trends in forest healing.

According to the Institute of Forest Science on the 22nd, the published materials are titled "Overseas Cases of Medical-Linked Services Utilizing Forest Resources" and "China's Forest Healing Policies and Operational Status."

According to the research papers, countries such as the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and the United States have begun attempts to prescribe nature based on the health-promoting effects of forests, while China is showing movements to promote forest healing policies on a nationwide scale.

This is due to the widespread recognition that forest healing is effective in enhancing the human body's immunity and promoting health by utilizing various elements inherent in nature.

In the cases of forest healing utilization by country, doctors in Scotland, United Kingdom, have been authorized since 2018 to prescribe "nature" instead of "medicine" to patients visiting hospitals, providing nature prescriptions to patients with hypertension, depression, emotional instability, and heart disease.

In New Zealand and the United States, forests are used for various physical activities and nutritional improvements, and various forest trails are created in residential green areas to operate "medical trails" or "prescription trails."

In particular, since October 2015, local governments and regional organizations in China have actively approved forest healing, and prior to that, the China National Forestry and Grassland Administration (Forest Service) introduced the concept of overseas forest healing to promote and conduct research.

For example, China is developing the field of forest healing by referring to South Korea's cases of forest healing-related legislation and spatial development status. Additionally, by integrating with traditional Chinese medicine, China is seeking forest healing methods that reflect elements and characteristics suitable for China.

South Korea, which has become a role model for China, currently holds a leading position in the field of forest healing, excelling in the development of specialized programs, spatial creation, and human resource training, receiving high international support and interest.

Since opening the first forest healing forest in 2010, South Korea has established and operated 67 healing forests, recording a cumulative 1.86 million visitors and 320,000 users of forest healing programs by the end of last year, with forest healing spaces becoming essential spaces for the health of the public.

Seo Jeong-won, head of the Forest Welfare Research Division at the National Institute of Forest Science, said, "We will continue research on the effects of forest healing to discover the positive healing effects of forests," and added, "Furthermore, we will promote domestic forest healing research results worldwide to enhance the value of our forests."