While most research focuses on the relationship between green space or “nature” and public health, this analysis drills down to the particular impact of trees in urban environments.
Following screening and appraisal of several thousand articles, 201 studies were conceptually sorted into a three-part framework. Reducing Harm, representing 41% of studies, includes topics such as air pollution, ultraviolet radiation, heat exposure, and pollen. Restoring Capacities, at 31%, includes attention restoration, mental health, stress reduction, and clinical outcomes. Building Capacities, at 28%, includes topics such as birth outcomes, active living, and weight status.
Urban Trees and Human Health: A Scoping Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020, 17, 4371.
View Resource Download ResourceUnderstanding how urban trees are associated with human health can inform how health professionals, urban foresters, town and city planners, and urban designers can maximize the public health benefits generated by urban trees by supporting better tree policy, planning, and management.