Forest bathing to improve your health: this therapy, common in Japan, has proven effective. The molecules released into the air by trees are good for us. In Lorraine, a team of researchers is trying to prove this using local tree species and is seeking funding.
By Rémi Brancato • Published Monday, May 25, 2026
With
Rémi Brancato
Journalist at France Inter
In Monthureux-sur-Saône, in the Vosges forest, the greenery dominates the view. Timothée Daguinot, head of the “Forêt d’exception” project at the National Forestry Office (ONF), guides us along this path: “We see oak, beech, hornbeam, fir; we see a bit of spruce, birch, ash, alder—a wide variety of tree species.”
Within a few steps, the forestry professional rediscovers the “joy” of walking there: “the crunch of fallen leaves underfoot, the smells, the sounds, the wind rustling through the leaves, the birdsong.” “When I come out, I often feel calmer, more at peace than before,” he says.
Lower blood pressure, slower heart rate, activation of immune cells Scientists have explained this empirical experience. “In Japanese studies, Dr. Qing Li demonstrated that blood pressure and heart rate decreased after a walk in the forest,” explains Caroline Simon, a lecturer and researcher at ENSTIB in Épinal—a school that trains wood engineers—and an expert with UNYS (an initiative bringing together several research and innovation organizations in Lorraine). Researchers from Japan and Scandinavia measured the vital signs of walkers before and after their time in the forest.