Hug a Tree. It’s Good for Both of You!

WASHINGTON — As we humans move through our lives, we have family, friends and pets to accompany us. Feeling connected to others is vital for mental and physical health. One overlooked companion? Trees. It may sound odd, but think about your relationship with trees throughout your life. 

Does the memory of a specific tree, or maybe just the woods in general, evoke an emotion? Here, we will dive into research on the human-tree relationship, its cultural significance and the scientific evidence behind how trees affect human and environmental health.

Trees and Humans

Trees and humans have similar appearances. We stand upright, we have trunks with limbs (branches) emerging from them, and a head (crown) on top. Although we may not have roots, we often refer to roots as a metaphor for creating a home.

There has always been a practical, interdependent nature to the tree and human relationship. Trees have always been a key element in cultural, spiritual and mythological stories. It is also a symbol in many religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism.

A 2024 study discusses the “interspecies” human-tree relationship and its emotional component. Nature connectedness affects our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Those who love trees do so for more than practical reasons. The study considers trees as “more than human” and considers their many roles, arguing that humans and trees are entwined in their lives.

The study highlights three types of relationships between humans and trees:

• Admiring Relationships: Love of “large, old, and charismatic trees” that provide joy, admiration and a feeling of connectedness to something greater than ourselves.
• Nurturing Relationships: People who plant young trees in their garden, care for and watch them grow.
• Nostalgic Relationships: Trees with symbolic value in one’s memory of a place they no longer visit.

Tree Communication

Trees communicate with each other with “underground tree talk.” It happens through “mycorrhizal (a type of fungus) networks” in the soil. Research suggests that trees have systems of sending and responding to defense signals to warn of disease or danger and for sharing nutrient resources.

Health Benefits of Trees

Trees have well-documented positive effects on the health and well-being of humans and the environment. Here is what to know from recent research.

• Environmental Factors:
  • Trees take in carbon dioxide and emit oxygen.
  • Individual trees help remove air pollution by intercepting pollutants on plant surfaces and absorbing gaseous pollutants.
  • Forests help limit widespread pollution. On urban streets, trees protect areas from pollution and can lower pollution concentration.
  • Trees improve air quality, according to a 2019 study, by regulating air temperature, altering local microclimates and removing air pollutants.

• Physiological Effects:
  • A 2019 study summarizes that forests have always provided humans with timber, fuel, and forage. Engaging with forests also boosts human health and well-being, and the researchers suggest it as a potential method of illness prevention.
  • A 2024 study cites other studies on how trees physiologically affect humans. Connecting with trees can lower one’s heartbeat and relieve stress.

• Forest Therapy, spending time in a forest to relieve stress and improve mental health, has some research behind it:
  • A 2021 systematic review summarizes some of the evidence behind forest therapy’s therapeutic effects on reducing hypertension, stress and symptoms of depression and anxiety. The review calls for more research on how immunological and inflammatory markers may change after forest therapy.
  • A 2020 review finds a positive association between forest exposure and mental well-being compared to urban exposure, suggesting that forests lower stress levels.

• Urban Trees: A 2020 review summarizes how urban trees can boost human health since many live in urban environments away from nature. They group urban tree benefits into three categories:
  • Reducing Harm: reducing air pollution, ultraviolet radiation and heat exposure.
  • Restoring Capacities: increasing attention, mental health, reducing stress and improving clinical health markers.
  • Building Capacities: increasing birth outcomes and encouraging an active lifestyle.

• Ancient Trees: A 2022 review discusses the importance of maintaining old forests that provide, in the roots and the high tops, “essential ecosystems” for all life. Ancient trees in old forests:
  • Transform large amounts of carbon dioxide into oxygen.
  • Produce phytochemicals.
  • Create micro-climates that may help slow global warming.
  • Create irreplaceable habitats for endangered species.
  • Control underground conditions to help tree regeneration.
  • Host fungi with medicinal potential.
  • Play an important role in humans’ cultural, historical, aesthetic, and religious heritage.

Hug a Tree

A study on large, old trees suggests that learning to appreciate them holistically may help stop the decline of old forests. Even dead and decaying trees in forests provide homes and nutrients for smaller species. In the spirit of the beginning of spring, taking time to appreciate all the ways trees support humans may encourage us to help protect them.

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