Health & Wellbeing

Trees and green spaces play a vital role in enhancing our well-being. The quality of the natural environment around us influences our health throughout our lives. Numerous studies highlight the positive impact that spending time in nature has on the health and well-being of both adults and children, a fact underscored during the COVID-19 national lockdown in 2020. For instance, access to attractive local green spaces and walking paths tends to encourage walking—a simple and accessible form of physical activity. Walking, in turn, not only improves physical health by reducing the risk of issues like obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, but also helps lower vehicle emissions by reducing reliance on cars.

Trees also contribute to better air quality by filtering harmful particulate matter and airborne pollutants, thus reducing pollution levels in urban areas. This improvement in air quality leads to lower rates of pollution-related illnesses and provides significant cardiovascular, respiratory, and asthma-related health benefits. Consequently, this reduction in illness helps ease the financial burden on healthcare systems, with around 40,000 premature deaths in the UK annually attributed to outdoor air pollution.

Estimates suggest that if all households in England had access to high-quality green spaces, it could result in annual healthcare savings of about £2.1 billion. In London alone, green spaces are believed to save £950 million per year in healthcare costs by promoting physical activity and improving mental health.

When it comes to mental and emotional health, interaction with nature has been shown to lower stress levels, boost self-esteem and mood, and even speed up recovery times after hospital stays. Green spaces and trees in urban environments enhance children's learning and development while improving cognitive function in individuals with attention deficit disorders. In fact, the mental health benefits from visits to the UK’s woodlands are valued at around £185 million annually.