• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.28-39
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• 2004

This study was carried out to find new perspective of forest recreation program in Gangwon-do. Gangwon-do has now 19 forest recreation sites (national forest 11, public forest 4, private forest 4) where forest interpretation, mountain bike, mountain marathon, mountain ski, forest music concert, various forest class are held. In order to develop the new programs for forest recreation program in Gangwon-do, this study considered culture program, welfare program and education program. For culture program, the experience program in traditional house, the experience in the back region and the experience in special product of mountain village were suggested. For welfare programs, the welfare programs for the old and the handicapped were shown. For education program, forest global village program and personality program were devised. According to introduction of 5 day-work per week, the population for recreation are expected to strongly increase, so Gangwon-do representing the image of tour province should improve continuous concern and various developing programs for forest recreation.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.735-747
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• 2023

This study was conducted to identify the appropriate space requirements for forest healing program for physical and mental health care of female cancer survivors in their 40s and 60s. From September to November 2023, 12 cancer survivors were surveyed at Chungnam National University Forest and Daejeon Healing Forest. One Forest Therapy instructor and two researchers conducted a forest healing program once a week for eight sessions of two hours each, Perceptions and satisfaction with the program and space were assessed using pre and post program questionnaires, and the effect of participation in the forest healing program on mood status was evaluated. The satisfaction survey results were supplemented by qualitative studies conducted through post-interviews. Result of the analysis showed that the satisfaction of the participants was very high (4.8/5.0). There was a notable increase in vigor and a decrease in total mood disturbance after participation in the program. Toilets and water facilities (11), tool boxes (9), pest control facilities (3), deck facilities (3), forest hut (3), electrical outlets (2), shade shelters (2), and shoe hairy (1) were proposed as required facilities for cancer survivors. This study demonstrated that the forest healing program is effective in reducing distress in female cancer survivors in their 40s and 60s and appropriate facility standards for the forest healing space are needed to increase the satisfaction of cancer survivors.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.109 no.3
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• pp.341-349
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• 2020

This study analyzed the effectiveness of the forest education program for teacher training. The training program was conducted at the National Center for Forest Activities, in Hoengseong, Korea in August 2017. Presurveys and postsurveys were administered to 46, K-12 teachers who participated in the forest education program. The results showed a statistically significant increase in the teachers' environmental sensitivity, eco-friendly teaching attitude, and teacher efficacy after the program. Survey participants expressed a slightly lower confidence in terms of teacher efficacy after participating in the program. This confirms the need for a training program with a focus on practical teaching skills, which would help teachers become more confident in providing forest education. This study verifies the effectiveness of the forest education program for teachers, who play an important role in developing students' environmental sensitivity and eco-friendly attitude. Furthermore, it suggests the need to develop more effective forest education programs for teacher training.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.87-100
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• 2016

This research was performed for the purpose of providing useful and base data and preservation strategy of growth characteristics of Rhododendron micranthum. From the result of research, wild growth area of Rhododendron micranthum was discovered near steep forest road on 695~901m in altitude above sea level of Baekdu-daegan National Arboretum. Vegetation colony structure of Site I was resulted in Pinus densiflora(tree stratum M.I.P.=45.3%) is dominants, Betula schmidtii(arborescent M.I.P.=9.8%) is second dominant, and Site III resulted in Pinus densiflora(tree stratum M.I.P.=30.5%) is dominants, Betula schmidtii(arborescent M.I.P.=10.3%) is second dominant. Site II resulted in Betula schmidtii(arborescent M.I.P.=30.4%) is dominants and Pinus densiflora tree(tree stratum M.I.P.=8.3%) is second dominants. For herbs, it was researched that the rate of one year herb of chrysanthemum family(10), rice family(3), sedge(2) was higher than near forest area. Among Species diversity index, that of Shannon was in range of 0.7348~1.1090. After comparing this with similar area, this value was relatively low. Dominance analysis result was analyzed that various groups are evenly distributed. Monthly highest average temperature is $23.9^{\circ}$ in Site A and Site B, and monthly lowest average temperature is $-4.5^{\circ}C$ in Site I and $-4.7^{\circ}C$ in Site II. Monthly maximum average humidity is 85.6% in Site I and 83.2% in Site II. Monthly minimum average humidity is 60.9% in Site I and 60.8% in Site II and it showed that these 2 area are located far away but have similar temperature and humidity characteristic and climate environment is similar. It was analyzed that humidity is high with the result of annual average humidity is over 60%. In growth characteristic, it showed that doubt damage of Stephanitis pyrioides, exposure of roots, peeled bark was discovered and supplement on this is urgent.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.693-705
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• 2021

Background and objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of forest therapy programs on reducing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and improving mood states in fire officers. Methods: To determine PTSD, depression, and mood states before and after the forest therapy program, the survey results of 185 fire officers were analyzed. Frequency analysis was conducted to identify the demographic characteristics of the participants, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test to analyze the differences among group. Results: As a result of a comparative analysis of PTSD before and after the program, there was a significant decrease in PTSD from 10.65 ± 12.00 to 5.64 ± 8.29 after the program. Depression also showed a statistically significant difference from 3.21 ± 4.00 to 2.21 ± 3.47 after the program. As a result of comparatively analyzing mood states before and after the program, there was an increase in positive factors and a decrease in negative factors. Total mood disturbance (TMD) also showed a statistically significant decrease from 5.78 ± 17.37 to -7.38 ± 10.35 after the program. Conclusion: This study has significance in verifying that forest therapy programs can bring psychological changes to fire officers, and these results can be used as a basis for stress management and relief of fire officers.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.101 no.4
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• pp.677-685
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• 2012

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of forest environment and therapeutic program to the patients with major depressive disorder in antidepressant medication. The first group participated the four sessions of therapeutic program in the forest environment ("forest therapy"), the second group did in the program in a hospital environment, the third group did merely walking in the forest ("forest bath"), and the last group was controls. All the participants was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and had been taking antidepressant medication longer than 3 months. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Hamilton Rating Scales for Depression(HRSD), Montgomery-Asberg Depressin Rating Scales(MADRS), Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), and general health perception was measured by Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire(SF-36). Heart rate variability(HRV) were also examined to observe the physiological parameters before and after the program. In the results, HRSD score of forest program group was significantly lower than controls after the program. MADRS score of forest therapy group and hospital program group was also significantly lower than controls after 4 sessions of the program. The remission rate defined as below 7 points in HRSD was higher in the forest therapy group, hospital program group, forest bath group, and controls in order. These results reveals that the therapeutic program performed in forest environment may improve unremitted depressive symptoms of patients with major depressive disorder. Although not significant, the forest therapy program showed better outcome than hosptial program and forest bath.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.290-301
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• 2022

Increasing life expectancy leads to a rise in the prevalence of aging-related mental diseases and a concomitant increase in the financial and societal pressures related to their prevention and management. This issue is attracting increasing attention from researchers. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether a healing program in a forest environment is effective for improving cognitive function, depression, anxiety, and stress in elderly people. A nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. The experimental group consisted of 18 males and females aged 60 to 80 years who participated in a forest healing program for seven days, while the comparison group comprised 10 people with similar demographics. For the process of data analysis, this study performed a cross-analysis to determine the homogeneity of the data and carried out the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, a nonparametric statistical test, to verify the significance of each group. Participation in the forest healing program led to a significant improve-ment in cognitive function (p=0.030). The levels of depression decreased, but this result was not statistically significant. The levels of anxiety decreased significantly (p=0.004). The mean cortisol score, a measurement of stress, decreased, but it was not statistically significant. These findings confirmed the effectiveness of this program for improving certain mental conditions of elderly people, and affirmed that the use of long-term forest healing programs can be expected to alleviate national pressures created by aging societies.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.363-375
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• 2020

Background and objective: Recreation or activities in forest are regarded as therapy. Many forest therapy programs have been developed and assessed in the domestic. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of the forest therapy program on academic and job-seeking stress in college students. Methods: Thirty five subjects were selected as the experimental group and 25 as the control group, and 29 subjects in the experimental group and 11 in the control group participated in the follow-up test to verify the persistence of stress reduction effects. The forest therapy program was carried out once a week for 2 hours each from September 4 to December 4, 2018, adding up to total eight sessions. Results: The experimental group showed statistically significant reduction in both academic stress and job-seeking stress, whereas the control group did not. For the persistence of the forest therapy program, the experimental group did not show a statistically significant difference between the posttest and the follow-up test, and thus the stress reduction effect was maintained. Conclusion: This study proved the reduction of academic and job-seeking stress in forest therapy programs and the persistence of the stress reduction effect of the forest therapy program. The result is consistent with the Stress Recovery Theory (SRT) that shows the stress reduction effect of nature. In addition, it has significance in that it has verified that the program using the forest on campus can reduce stress of most college students.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.101 no.3
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• pp.469-479
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• 2012

Trail is a main infrastructure for various forest recreational activities. In this study, the recreational supply (trail) and demand (trail program according to visitor characteristics, preferred forest activities) were studied. Through the application of a multiple correspondence analysis and cross tabulation analysis, 3 trails (Bukhansan trail, Uljin trail, Jirisan trail) were identified. On this study, visitor demands for trail program participation, preferred forest recreational activities, program contents and program operations. Visitors expressed positive attitude toward trail program participating and showed characteristics with the differences. Young visitors preferred active experience program and middle aged visitors more liked health program such as forest therapy. On site program and self guided interpretation were preferred for program operation. In Bukhansan trail, continuous health program (1~2 hours) would be proper and it needs to adapt various nature activities in the Uljin trail. For the Jirisan trail, self guided program would be developed in many ways.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.492-497
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• 2022

Objectives: Women experience more stress in middle age than in other periods of their lives. Therefore, health management programs that enable middle-aged women to cope with and manage stress are needed. This study investigated the psychological effects of a meditation-focused forest therapy program among 53 middle-aged women living in urban areas in Korea. Methods: Participants were divided into 2 groups: one group underwent the program for 3 days in a forest, followed by 3 days in an urban environment, and the other group underwent the program for 3 days in the urban environment, followed by 3 days in the forest. The psychological effects of the forest therapy program were evaluated using the Profile of Mood States-Brief (POMS-B). Differences in mood state before and after the program conducted in the forest (experimental group) and in the urban environment (control group) were evaluated using the paired-samples t-test. Results: The program in the forest significantly reduced tension, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion among the domains of the POMS-B. The program in the urban area significantly reduced tension, but not depression, anger, fatigue, or confusion. Conclusions: Meditation-focused forest therapy programs are expected to contribute to promoting psychological health and enhancing the quality of life of middle-aged women.