Nature promotes healthier lives and communities

Nature-lovers have long known that a walk in the woods or 'getting up close and personal with nature” in other ways can reduce stress and anxiety.

Science is finally backing that intuition.

William Sullivan, a nationally known researcher who leads the Landscape Architecture Department at the University of Illinois, examines the impact of nature on health and in education.

Sullivan's research shows that people recover faster from stressful experiences when exposed to trees, grass, gardens and other forms of nature on a daily basis.

Trees Forever, our non-profit nationally headquartered in Marion, has long been a proponent of landscapes designed to benefit health and well-being.

During the past 25 years, we have partnered with communities, schools and organizations to plant well over 3 million trees in Iowa and Illinois; trained volunteers to serve as TreeKeepers, who act as the eyes and ears for neighborhood trees; helped landowners plant trees and shrubs to address water quality and improve soil health; led workshops to address the importance of native plants for our pollinators, such as bees and monarchs; and assisted communities in responding to emerald ash borer and other threats to our trees.

Our work and that of our partners is making a difference in small communities and large, including Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and elsewhere across Iowa and Illinois, but more can be done.

Higher levels of stress have been linked to several of the leading causes of death in the United States, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some cancers and suicide.

Sullivan's research suggests that tree-lined streets and tree-canopied neighborhoods, along with widely dispersed natural areas within communities, can help reduce the stress people experience on an everyday basis, which could potentially reduce the risk of these diseases.

Among other topics, researchers at his lab examine the costs to a community of having little or no green space available to its residents and how might a community improve the health of its residents by planting and maintaining trees that create a healthy 'urban forest.”

The research demonstrates that everyday contact with trees and living green infrastructure has a profound, positive impact for individuals and communities. These green spaces need not be large or pristine to convey a variety of broad-ranging outcomes. They must, however, be easily accessible from a person's home or workplace.

Dr. Sullivan will keynote the annual symposium hosted by Trees Forever. Our Woodland Legacy: Integrating Nature Into Everyday Living, will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, at the Cedar Rapids Country Club.

Now in its ninth year, Our Woodland Legacy brings together cutting-edge speakers with local environmentalists, planners, developers, public health professionals and public officials.

Besides Sullivan, Blue Zones and walkability expert Dan Burden also will keynote and focus on how local policies can address planning for more trees and green space. Roundtable discussions and workshops during the symposium will address putting these ideas into practice.

Trees Forever is pleased to host this annual event with support from the Holloway Family Environmental Trust, the City of Cedar Rapids, Transamerica, Linn County, and many others.

We invite the community to join with us as we address these important issues. Learn more at: www.TreesForever.org

' Shannon Ramsay is founding president and CEO of Trees Forever, in Marion. Comments: Shannon@TreesForever.org