Korea Forest Service

About: Korea Forest Service is a government organization based out in Daejeon, South Korea. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Genome & Sustainable forest management. The organization has 52 authors who have published 56 publications receiving 1122 citations.

Influence of forest therapy on cardiovascular relaxation in young adults.

Abstract: Background. Despite increasing attention toward forest therapy as an alternative medicine, very little evidence continues to be available on its therapeutic effects. Therefore, this study was focused on elucidating the health benefits of forest walking on cardiovascular reactivity. Methods. Within-group comparisons were used to examine the cardiovascular responses to walking in forest and urban environments. Forty-eight young adult males participated in the two-day field research. Changes in heart rate variability, heart rate, and blood pressure were measured to understand cardiovascular reactivity. Four different questionnaires were used to investigate the changes in psychological states after walking activities. Results. Forest walking significantly increased the values of ln(HF) and significantly decreased the values of ln(LF/HF) compared with the urban walking. Heart rate during forest walking was significantly lower than that in the control. Questionnaire results showed that negative mood states and anxiety levels decreased significantly by forest walking compared with urban walking. Conclusion. Walking in the forest environment may promote cardiovascular relaxation by facilitating the parasympathetic nervous system and by suppressing the sympathetic nervous system. In addition, forest therapy may be effective for reducing negative psychological symptoms.

Emotional, restorative and vitalizing effects of forest and urban environments at four sites in Japan.

Abstract: The present study investigated the well-being effects of short-term forest walking and viewing (“forest bathing”). The hypothesis in our study was that both environment (forest vs. urban) and activity (walking and viewing) would influence psychological outcomes. An additional aim was to enhance basic research using several psychological methods. We conducted the experiments using 45 respondents in four areas of Japan from August to September, 2011. The hypothesis in our study was supported, because significant interaction terms between the environment and activity were confirmed regarding the Profile of Mood States (POMS) indexes, Restorative Outcome Scale (ROS) and Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS). No statistical differences between the two experimental groups in any of the ten scales were found before the experiment. However, feelings of vigor and positive effects, as well as feelings of subjective recovery and vitality were stronger in the forest environment than in the urban environment.

Interaction with indoor plants may reduce psychological and physiological stress by suppressing autonomic nervous system activity in young adults: a randomized crossover study

Abstract: Developments in information technology cause a great deal of stress to modern people, and controlling this stress now becomes an important issue. The aim of this study was to examine psychological and physiological benefits of interaction with indoor plants. The study subjects were 24 young male adults at the age of 24.9 ± 2.1 (mean ± SD). The crossover experimental design was used to compare the differences in physiological responses to a computer task and a plant-related task. Subjects were randomly distributed into two groups. The first group (12 subjects) carried out transplanting of an indoor plant, whereas the second group (12 subjects) worked on a computer task. Then, each subject switched activities. The psychological evaluation was carried out using the semantic differential method (SDM) and physiological evaluation using heart rate variability (low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) components) and blood pressure. Analysis of the SDM data showed that the feelings during the transplanting task were different from that during the computer task: the subjects felt more comfortable, soothed, and natural after the transplanting task than after the computer task. The mean value of total log[LF/(LF + HF)] (sympathetic activity) increased over time during the computer task but decreased at the end of the transplanting task, and the differences were significant. Furthermore, diastolic blood pressure was significantly lower after the transplanting task. Our results suggest that active interaction with indoor plants can reduce physiological and psychological stress compared with mental work. This is accomplished through suppression of sympathetic nervous system activity and diastolic blood pressure and promotion of comfortable, soothed, and natural feelings.

Soil Nitrogen Availability Affects Belowground Carbon Allocation and Soil Respiration in Northern Hardwood Forests of New Hampshire

Abstract: Plant nutrient acquisition in forests requires respiration by roots and mycorrhizae. Belowground carbon allocation and soil respiration should thus reflect plant effort allocated to nutrient uptake, for example in conditions of different nutrient availabilities controlled by site quality or stand history. Soil respiration, belowground C allocation, and fine root biomass were measured in three sites differing in nutrient availability in the northern hardwood forests of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Annual soil respiration and belowground C allocation measured in two stands at each site were lowest at Jeffers Brook, the site with highest nutrient availability, and higher at Hubbard Brook and Bartlett Experimental Forests. Neither soil respiration nor belowground C allocation differed significantly between mid-aged (31–41 year old) and older stands (>80 year old) within the sites, despite higher fine root (<1 mm) biomass in old stands than mid-aged stands. During the growing season, soil respiration was low where net nitrogen mineralization and net nitrification were high across an extensive sample of thirteen stands and annual belowground C allocation decreased with increasing nitrification across the six intensively studied stands. Available P was not related to soil respiration. The relationships among N availability, belowground C allocation, and soil respiration support the claim that forests allocate more C belowground in ecosystems with low availability of a limiting nutrient.