WASHINGTON, DC—People enjoy special bonds to nature, which can bring them peace and a better sense of self. This relationship building can take place in many kinds of settings—from a wild national forest to an urban park. These bonds aren’t simply imagined; research indicates green spaces improve people’s mental well-being and help them foster resiliency in the face of challenges like climate change. Understanding how and why people interact with nature helps Forest Service researchers, who partner with universities and nonprofit organizations, improve how we manage these vital resources for current and future generations.

For example, Forest Service scientists studying the relationships veterans enjoy with the lands for which they fought have found that time in nature provides therapeutic benefits. In addition, agency scientists form research partnerships with Native American communities to sustain plant species important to indigenous people. As the first stewards of what are now public lands, tribes bring millennia of knowledge and valuable perspectives to land management. Agency scientists have also developed a vision for engaging all members of the public, especially those living in underserved communities and facing economic barriers, in sustainable forms of recreation.

To accomplish their research goals, scientists employ many methods—including surveys, interviews and focus groups—that ask people their views on forests, trees and the environment. Researchers then employ social sciences, economics, geography and traditional knowledge to analyze these findings and develop strategies to better unite people with nature.