Chapter 2 of this study summarised research evidence associated with effects and exposure to forests for physical health and mental well-being as well as social benefits for people. The review acknowledged that these effects are positive, especially in terms of health promotion, prevention and therapeutic effects. However, in order to prove healing/curative effects of forests it is evident that more research is needed in the future. The development and implementation of different strategies, focused on promotion of positive effects of forest landscapes on human health, covers a broad range of concepts and approaches: newly identified forms of relaxation, such as mindfulness, combinations of different types of forest recreation for health purposes as well as various types of therapies associated with forests. It also includes various types of activities and programmes carried out in wooded land which often require well designed facilities and amenities in carefully identified areas. The multi-functionality of forests, as required by ministers in Oslo (see Chapter 3 for more information), provides multiple opportunities for the forest sector to offer new types of services in order to obtain additional income and develop new green jobs, but also to illustrate how the multi-functionality of forests works on the ground. The opportunities associated with the positive effects derived from forest ecosystem services need to be better promoted through the sustainable forest management. The sections of this chapter illustrate a vast range of concepts for utilising the beneficial effects of forests for human health and well-being. Sections 4.2 and 4.3 describe approaches that mainly focus on forests for health promotion or therapeutic interventions. Sections 4.4 and 4.5 are mapping programmes and interventions that primarily follow objectives other than health promotion, but are broadly recognised providing indirect health benefits as synergy effects or are integrated in other fields, such as education, recreation and tourism in forests.
The sections are structured according to the potential number of users and the intensity of using forests for health and well-being. Interventions focused on health promotion and disease prevention reach higher numbers of participants, whereas therapeutic interventions involve those who are already ill (Figure 6).
