Why a tree a day can keep the doctor away

Trees are good for the soul, but as Maria Lally discovers, their healing power is good for the body too

Forest bathing involves being mindfully present around trees and in nature (Getty)

There are few news stories that unite a nation. But the felling of the centuries-old tree that sat in Sycamore Gap in the Northumberland National Park managed it this week.

On Thursday morning, park bosses announced that the 36-metre-high tree at Hadrian’s Wall was “deliberately” cut down. Locals were left devastated by the news and gathered to pay their respects; novelists and photographers paid tribute to what it had meant. “It’s where people come to get peace, you can sit here for hours and just watch the stars, it’s where Northumberland lives and breathes,” said one.

The benefits of being in nature – and in particular around trees – have been known for a long time, and in 2019 the Woodland Trust suggested “forest bathing“ should be on the list of “social subscriptions” offered by GPs to increase patient wellbeing, along with volunteering and gardening.