Coaching Supervision

Forest Therapy in Germany, Japan, and China: Proposal, Development Status, and Future Prospects

“…The sedentary lives enabled by farming required land and shelter, which, in turn, required the destruction of forests for wood and the development of space. Therefore, by the 14th century AD, forest coverage in Germany was only about 25% [18]. Over time, people became increasingly aware of the environmental problems caused by deforestation, and the destruction of forests gradually decreased.…”

“…In the 20th century, with the end of the war between Europe and Germany, the Germans carried out large-scale afforestation operations using tree species such as spruce, fir, and pine. After more than half a century's effort, Germany's forest cover had reached about 30% in 2010 and 32% in 2018 [18].…”

“…Germany has a relatively comprehensive medical system. According to statistics, in terms of per capita expenditure on prescription drugs, the annual expenditure per capita in Germany is about 777 USD, and the number of hip surgeries per 100,000 people is 299.3 [18]. This reflects the universality and efficiency of the German health care system but also raises concerns about medical costs.…”

“…In terms of specific practices, Germans recognize the health-promoting effect of forests and also agree that "being in the forest means freedom and healing" [18]. In Germany, however, forest therapy activities carried out by individual subjects in forests have not received extensive medical or legal support.…”

“…Against the backdrop of accelerating global urbanization, deepening population aging, and the growing financial burden placed on health care service systems, the role of forest therapy services, driven by evidence-based research, is gaining in popularity among healthpromoting activities [18,19]. This non-drug adjuvant therapy activity has gradually become an important means of relieving sub-health, lifestyle diseases, and somatic complaints [20].…”