Forests have provided support for human health and survival since ancient times. With improved public awareness of health issues and the importance of forest ecological functions, forest therapy has gradually gained momentum. Forest therapies have been applied around the world as preventive and alternative therapies to promote human health. As a safe, side-effect-free, low-cost, preventive, and alternative therapy, forest therapy has been scientifically proven to promote physical and mental health in humans. However, the forest therapy service system is still underdeveloped, and forest therapy has not become a mainstream part of clinical medical treatment methods in most countries worldwide. Therefore, in order to better present the development path and current situation of forest therapy in different countries and provide guidance for how other countries can develop similar interventions and clinical sites to base these activities, this study uses Germany, Japan, and China as examples to systematically tease out how forest therapy has developed and the status of forest therapy services in different countries, as well as the health benefits of forest therapy. Furthermore, the key components and traditional cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds related to forest therapy are discussed. Finally, based on published empirical research, we believe that forest therapy can be a solution to public health problems thanks to its multiple, medically proven health benefits. Forest therapy facilitates the return of people to the forest and nature to achieve health and well-being effects. However, there is a need for more research on the mechanisms (such as the immune system, endocrine system, nervous system, etc.) underlying forest therapy’s effectiveness, which should include strengthened collaborations between disciplines. In addition, the role of forest therapy services in promoting human health needs to be emphasized.

Although precipitation extremes exert a major influence on populations and the environment, trend analysis for the entire Qinghai-Tibetan plateau (QTP) has not previously been undertaken. In this study, meteorological data from 83 weather stations was used to analyze the temporal trends and spatial distribution of 10 extreme precipitation indices over the QTP during 1975–2014. The Mann Kendall test and Sen’s slope estimator were used to determine significances and magnitudes of station trends. Spatially, stations recording increasing trends were mainly distributed in the southwestern, central and northern regions. Stations with decreasing trends were centered on the eastern and southeastern areas. Temporally, all indices had an increasing trend except for consecutive dry days (CDD) and consecutive wet days (CWD) during the study period. The contribution of extreme precipitation to total precipitation showed a significant increasing trend. These findings may be due to the complex interaction between the large-scale circulation and topography. In general, the changes of extreme precipitation indicated an enhanced tendency, with the frequency, intensity and amount of heavy precipitation increasing over time. Furthermore, altitude dependency of extreme precipitation does not exist in QTP, with topography effects on changes in precipitation extremes being more obvious in the higher elevation, flat, and hill stations.

As a result of rapid urbanization and urban sprawl, natural ecosystems are shrinking or are fragmented, affecting people’s health and quality of life. Modern people prefer to live in large cities rather than rural areas because of greater convenience and more comfortable living conditions. As a consequence, people are suffering from many psycho-physiological health problems and have a longing for natural environments to escape the concrete jungle. Forest therapy has emerged as a preventive and alternative therapy to cope with stress and enhance people’s health and wellbeing as a result of spending time in a green and healthy environment. Here, we review the activities related to forest therapy in China and discuss the commonalities and differences between the forest therapy types. Furthermore, we summarize the current achievements of forest therapy in basic research and the development of the forest therapy industry. We also describe the challenges that forest therapy has been facing. Finally, we provide suggestions for further development in research and industry.

Root system architecture (RSA) refers to the spatial distribution and extended morphology of plant root systems in soil. RSA not only determines the ability of plants to obtain water and nutrients but also affects other ecological functions. Hence, it plays a dominant role in the overall health of plants. The study of RSA can provide insight into plant absorption of water and fertilizers, the relationship between above- and belowground plant parts, and the physiological health and ecological functions of plants. Therefore, this paper summarizes research on the morphology, functionality, plasticity and research methods of RSA. We first review the basic structure, physiology, and ecological functions of root systems. Then the soil factors that shape RSA—including soil moisture, nutrients, temperature, aeration, and others—are summarized. After that, research methods for studying RSA are described in detail, including harvesting, two-dimensional morphological observation, and three-dimensional image reconstruction. Finally, future research developments and innovations are discussed to provide a theoretical basis for further investigations in this field.

Based on the daily precipitation data from 53 meteorological stations, 11 extreme precipitation indices were selected, categorized and calculated; the temporal and spatial patterns in these indices and their teleconnections with the large-scale circulations were analyzed by the non-parametric Mann-Kendall test; and Sen’s slope estimator and linear regression for the period of 1960–2014 were calculated. The results indicated that all extreme precipitation indices had spatial patterns decreasing from the southeastern to the northwestern parts of the Beijing-Tianjin Sand Source Region (BTSSR), except for the consecutive dry days (CDD), which exhibited a reverse spatial pattern. At the whole-region scale, most extreme precipitation indices showed an insignificant decreasing trend, with exceptions in the intensity indices (RX1day and RX5day) with a statistical significance at the 90% confidence level. The total annual precipitation showed a general shift towards a drier climate in the study area. Spatially, all indices for extreme precipitation showed decreasing trends at most stations, except for simple daily intensity index (SDII) and heavy precipitation days (R10). The change in extreme precipitation may be affected by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). Better understanding of extreme precipitation for the BTSSR may be useful in the regional planning for ecological restoration and water management.

With the progress of science and technology, humans’ ability to transform and create has been greatly enhanced, but so have the physical and mental ailments associated with environmental degradation and urbanization. Human survival and health are strongly linked to nature, and there is growing evidence that exposure to nature promotes health and well-being. However, there is currently a lack of synthesis among empirical studies on these aspects for the findings to be sufficient for informing public health strategies and social policy. Here, following basic guidelines for systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Scopus databases in January 2023. The results of our search and analysis show that nature can improve people’s health and well-being from two aspects: physical (reduces CVDs, increases immunity, improves autonomic nervous system function, and improves sleep quality) and psychological (restores attention, improves mood, reduces stress, and improves cognitive development). The ways in which people derive health from nature are varied, and tailored, personalized, symptom-specific exposure can further increase the health benefits. More importantly, it seems that people can gain the health benefits of nature by only being exposed to it for a short time. We incorporate the existing scientific evidence in our review and develop a new heuristic point of view on the necessity of exposure to natural environments for the health of individuals.