Dr. Qing Li of the Nippon Medicine School Invited to Talk about Forest Therapy

Beijing Forestry Society recently invited Dr. Qing Li of the Nippon Medicine School to make a presentation on forest therapy on 14 August, 2013.

Apart from timber production and protection, providing opportunities for recreational experience, environmental education, convalescence, camping & exploration, flower-appreciating, bird-viewing, carbon sequestration, water conservation, Forests’ impacts on preventing diseases and promoting health is also becoming a focus of public attention.

Forest therapy or a forest bathing trip is a short leisurely visit to a forest field, called “Shinrin-yoku” in Japanese, which is similar in effect to natural aromatherapy, for the purpose of relaxation and the breathing in of volatile substances called phytoncides. Incorporating forest bathing trips into a healthy lifestyle was first proposed in 1982 by the Forest Agency of Japan. It has become a recognized relaxation and/or stress management activity in Japan.

Forest therapy produces an effect on people who conduct activities such as walking in the forest, and who feel every environmental factor in the forest (the forest environment) such as the flowers, trees, and the activities of birds and insects, through their senses and sensory organs.

Beijing Forestry Society has translated the book Forest Medicine edited by Dr. Li into Chinese.

Forest Medicine is to present up-to-date findings in countries such as Japan, Korea, Britain and China to show the beneficial effects of forest environments on human health. Forest medicine could let you know ho
w to be more active, more relaxed and healthier with reduced stress and reduced risk of lifestyle-related disease and cancer by visiting forests. It encompasses the effects of forest environments on human health and is a new interdisciplinary science, belonging to the categories of alternative medicine, environmental medicine and preventive medicine.

Up to now, there have been 48 forest therapy stations established in Japan. Beijing Forestry Society will seek to boost forest therapy in Beijing, to provide our 20 million citizens with more opportunities for health improvement.