LOS ANGELES: In a new paper a team of researchers present a compelling case for why urban neighborhoods filled with trees are better for your physical health.
The large study builds on a body of prior research showing the cognitive and psychological benefits of nature scenery – but also goes farther in actually beginning to quantify just how much an addition of trees in a neighborhood enhances health outcomes. The researchers were able to do so because they were working with a vast dataset of public, urban trees, categorized by species, location, and tree diameter – supplemented by satellite measurements of non-public green space (for instance, trees in a person’s back yard).