Recent headlines have made clear the need for change in BC’s forest sector. Immediate action is needed to further diversify forest operations and access to fibre, opening doors to innovation and value-added products.

We can and should emphasise building with renewable materials sourced from BC timber, such as expanding local production of mass timber and continuing to advance tall wood construction. It is also time to take stock of our collective long-term vision for forestry in the province, including its role in impacting our physical and psychological health, both collectively and individually.

The Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship (FES) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is doing just that.

One facet of our work involves deepening understanding of the complex interplay that exists between people and nature. FES experts have mapped who in our communities has access to parks and urban wilderness spaces and why, and who is left out.

Our recently launched UBC Richards Buchanan Professorship in Forests, Nature and Human Health is taking this line of research one step further.

Building on ongoing FES expertise, this professorship positions BC at the forefront of a burgeoning area of research at the intersection of human health, the natural environment and natural features in the built environment.

Made possible with a multi-million-dollar gift from philanthropist Bruce Buchanan and leveraging support from UBC, the scope of this innovative professorship overlaps with such fields as medicine, public health, epidemiology, environmental health, neuroscience and/or environmental psychology.

Potential topics of investigation span urban greening, forest therapy, nature-based solutions, Indigenous health, community well-being, biophilic design and/or environmental change, such as from extreme heat events, air pollution or wildfire smoke.

The implications and applications of this research could impact decision-making surrounding housing, urban planning, public healthcare and the forest sector.

Nature’s health-giving effects are well-established. Prior research has associated green spaces with decreased depression and reduced stress-response hormones like cortisol. Being in nature lessens muscle tension, can lower heart rate and blood pressure and may offer protection against heart disease.

Natural elements in hospitals have also been linked to reduced psychological distress and pain among acute patients. Similar results have been found with simulated forest walks using virtual reality technology in health-care settings.

Consider how you feel walking through a room made with exposed wood beams. Why would many of us prefer walking in a forest to a busy street? This phenomenon can be explained by a concept known as biophilia: the belief that humans have an innate affinity for nature and natural elements that can enhance how we feel and, possibly, our health.

A combination of the Greek words for life “bios” and love “philia”, biophilia gave rise to biophilic design. This architectural and urban planning approach emphasises the integration of natural elements in the built environment.

More data is needed to parse the opportunities biophilic design could present within a holistic approach to public health. And, perhaps, this approach could concomitantly move forward the provincial forest sector by scaling the use of BC wood in building design and construction.

Another promising area of scientific research at UBC is the vast and largely untapped reservoir of bioactive chemicals that trees represent.

The same defence systems that trees developed over millions of years of evolution to protect against pests and pathogens are presently the focus of a burgeoning area of research exploring how to leverage these natural systems to treat diseases. Current examples of this potential include the drug paclitaxel (Taxol), a common chemotherapy treatment for cancer derived from a compound from the bark of the Pacific yew tree. Ongoing research is exploring applications for lodgepole pine and compounds derived from residues from other tree species.

Greenery both within and beyond municipal boundaries also performs an essential role in buffering some of the impacts of human-caused climate change. Tree shade has a natural cooling effect, and they produce oxygen and absorb and store carbon. They are also a renewable resource that can take the place of non-renewables like petrochemicals to satisfy numerous community needs and values, from carbon-storing building materials to bioplastics, recreational opportunities, medicinal plants, food, and fresh air.

The reimagined forest sector in BC must respond to changing economic and environmental landscapes, as well as align with societal values. Right now, there is an opportunity for part of this response to take the form of forest-derived services and products that support healthier communities and individuals.

Indeed, the health-giving attributes of trees, forests and nature may well be a within-grasp, sustainable avenue toward securing the long-term health of people and the planet.