Being around trees is proven to enhance health, from lowering stress to increasing longevity. However, a new national study led by Michigan State University researcher Amber Pearson reveals a surprise: The biological benefits of nature are not experienced equally across all populations.
“The prevailing thought among urban planners and health professionals has been that if we plant trees, everyone’s health will get better,” said Pearson, professor at the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health in the MSU College of Human Medicine. “Our study found that the benefits of trees aren’t equally experienced.”
Published in the Lancet Regional Health – Americas, the study examined the relationship between residential tree canopy and allostatic load — the cumulative “wear and tear” on the body caused by chronic stress. Using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data related to 40,307 adults matched with satellite maps of tree cover, Pearson’s team analyzed data for every census block in the country. And they found that while higher tree canopy is generally associated with lower allostatic load, that was not the case for the most vulnerable groups.