How Do Trees Improve Our Health?

Trees do far more than beautify the places where we live. They help take care of us by cooling our neighborhoods, filtering pollutants from the air, helping manage stormwater, and creating spaces that support our mental and physical wellbeing. 

In communities across America, trees serve as living infrastructure, quietly working every day to make our environments healthier, our communities more resilient, and our lives a little better.

There’s a reason a walk through the woods can feel different from a walk down a busy street.

Under a canopy of trees, we find opportunities to slow down, breathe, and step away from the demands of daily life. Fresh air. Sunshine. The sound of birds singing or leaves moving in the breeze. These simple experiences with nature can give our minds a chance to reset.

Americans are experiencing these benefits firsthand. The Arbor Day Foundation’s 2025 Canopy Report found that 85% of Americans say spending time in nature, surrounded by trees, feels like hitting the reset button for their mind and soul. Another 79% say being among trees is their happy place. And 87% say trees and green spaces have a noticeable impact on their wellbeing.

And that feeling isn’t just in your head. Research increasingly connects access to green space with better mental health, and the World Health Organization recognizes urban green spaces as places that can support stress relief, relaxation, social connection, and physical activity.

That is part of the healing power of trees.
 

Healthy communities make it easier for people to move.

A tree-lined sidewalk or trail can provide shade and create a more comfortable setting for walking, running, and biking. Parks and green spaces give people places to exercise, play, and spend time outdoors. Research has found positive associations between exposure to green space and physical activity.

When trees make a neighborhood more comfortable and inviting, getting outside can just become a more natural part of everyday life. And that can have a ripple effect. A walk after dinner becomes a little more appealing. A shaded trail makes a summer bike ride more manageable. A nearby park creates a place for children to play.

But tree's impact on our health goes well beyond how we feel.
 

They can also help protect communities from extreme heat. Mature trees can cool neighborhoods by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit through shade and evaporative cooling, an increasingly important benefit as extreme heat becomes a growing threat to public health.

And the connection between trees and human health is measurable.

Research has found associations between greater neighborhood tree canopy and better health outcomes, including lower rates of cardiovascular disease. A 2024 study from the U.S. Forest Service, for example, found that neighborhoods in Portland, Oregon, where more trees were planted experienced lower rates of cardiovascular and premature mortality. Over a 15-year period, planting an average of 1,638 trees each year was associated with 15.6 fewer deaths annually. As the trees matured, the associated health benefits increased.

This is where the benefits of trees become deeply personal: what trees do for the environment ultimately becomes what they do for us. In other words, trees aren’t simply an amenity. They are infrastructure that can help communities become healthier, more resilient, and more livable.

But the benefits of trees aren't equally available to everyone.

Some neighborhoods have abundant, mature canopy, while others have far fewer trees and less access to parks and natural spaces. That means people can experience very different environmental conditions based simply on where they live.

The 2025 Canopy Report found that 73% of Americans wish their neighborhood had more trees, while half say they need to drive to the nearest park or natural area. Access matters because the benefits of trees are experienced where people live, work, and spend time every day.

That’s why planting and caring for trees is about more than adding greenery to a landscape. It’s about creating healthier places and making the benefits of nature more accessible to more people. The World Health Organization notes that improving urban green spaces can produce positive health, social, and environmental outcomes — particularly when communities are meaningfully involved in planning and using those spaces.

Trees can't solve every public health challenge. But few community investments can address so many of the factors that shape our everyday wellbeing. When we plant, protect, and care for trees, we are investing in healthier people, healthier communities, and a healthier future.