"A healing experience in the forest" - forest health care

Forests are the cradle of human civilization. Modern science has gradually confirmed that forests and their resources and environmental endowments have important health-preserving effects on human physiology and psychology. At the same time, with the improvement of the national economic level, people's demand for returning to nature and pursuing health has become stronger. Forest health care, a lifestyle that releases psychological pressure, pleases the body and mind, and improves physical functions, has also become increasingly popular among the public.

Forest health care is based on the forest ecological environment and aims to promote public health. It utilizes forest ecological resources, landscape resources, food and medicine resources, and cultural resources, and organically integrates them with medicine and health sciences to carry out health care, rehabilitation, and healthy aging service activities.

File photo: Several women do health exercises at the Jiuxianshan Forest Health Care Base in Dehua County, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province

As a new phenomenon of forest ecology and service value, forest health care is a good way to realize the value of ecological products. Forests are not only reservoirs of water, money, grain, but also carbon reservoirs. Forest health care has become a way to revitalize rural areas and increase people's income.

In Zhejiang, the birthplace of the concept that green mountains and clear waters are invaluable assets, the province's forest health output value reached 234.8 billion yuan in 2021, with nine companies with a market value of more than 10 billion yuan. Nearly half of the increase in farmers' income in key areas came from the forest health industry. Forest health has become the largest industry in Zhejiang's forestry industry and a vivid example of practicing the "two mountains" concept.

From Zhejiang to the whole country, forest health care development practices have sprung up everywhere. So far, there are 96 national forest health care bases and 1,321 national forest health care pilot construction bases in my country.

File photo: Forest landscape of Jiuxianshan Forest Health Care Base in Dehua County, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province (drone photo)

As one of the national ecological civilization pilot areas, Guizhou has a forest area of ​​162 million mu, a forest coverage rate of 61.51%, 100% of the main rivers have excellent water quality, and 99.4% of the days with excellent air quality in cities at or above the county level. For Guizhou, the forest health care industry is both a green industry and a people-enriching industry. In recent years, Guizhou Province has improved the standards of forest health care bases, improved forest health care infrastructure, strengthened the research and development, processing and sales of forest health care ingredients, food, beverages and health care products, and focused on the prosperity of forest health care culture, and deeply explored traditional health culture, forest culture, flower culture, dietary culture, homestay culture and local culture. In 2021, the output value of the entire industry chain will reach 196.572 billion yuan, accounting for more than half of the total output value of forestry.

Yuping Mountain in Hongya Forest Farm has 35,000 mu of artificial Cryptomeria fortunei forest and a forest coverage rate of 98%. It has successfully transformed from a traditional forest area and become the core area of ​​forest health care in Hongya Forest Farm. It is one of the first national forest health care bases in the country, and has contributed a unique Chinese example to achieving the global forest goal of "increasing the economic, social and environmental benefits of forests and improving the livelihoods of those who depend on forests."

my country attaches great importance to the development of forest health care industry. The Opinions on Promoting the Development of Forest Health Care Industry proposes to build 1,200 national forest health care bases by 2035. It can be foreseen that under the dual catalysis of market demand and national policies, the forest health care industry will usher in major development opportunities.

my country has rich types of forest resources. Vigorously promoting the forest health care industry is not only in line with the country's macro-policies, but also meets the needs of the people for health and wellness. It will be an important means to achieve the two-way mutually beneficial transformation of "green waters and green mountains" and "gold mountains and silver mountains", and it shows unlimited development potential.

Review expert: Yang Rurong, associate researcher at the Institute of Geography and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences

China Association for Science and Technology Department of Science Popularization

Xinhuanet

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