Page 21 - Georgia Forestry - Issue3 - Summer 2021

Emerging from the global pandemic, people are more aware than ever of the connection between the environment and public health. Like many trends that accelerated over the past year, this awareness has been emerging for some years. And now is the moment to leverage it. A new, nationwide initiative to help people make the connection from human health to trees and forests aims to make “Healthy Trees, Healthy Lives” as well-known as “Got Milk?”
Show Me the Science
If the “HTHL” slogan sounds familiar, it’s because the initiative was first introduced by the Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF) in 2018. Communicators in the SGSF group recognized that the links between human health and nature, especially trees, were increasingly being confirmed by the academic and science communities. What so many people have innately known about the good feelings they get from being around trees now had a growing body of evidence to prove their tangible, good-health benefits.
The HTHL campaign had a “soft start” web presence through SGSF, and some supporting activities were carried out by member states. But with health-connection research mounting, in-house communicators knew it was time to reach for a wider audience, beyond forestry-centric agencies.
“We needed a place that everyone can go, that belongs to everyone,” said Gretchen Riley, Texas A&M Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Partnership Leader and HTHL project co-leader. She said the new website “doesn’t look gov- ernmental or regulatory,” and that project managers are very happy with it.
One of the best things about the new site is that it’s easy to find. A simple Google search for “Healthy Trees, Healthy Lives” takes internet users to a list of four direct links to HealthyTreesHealthyLives.org. Four successive links go to partner organizations supporting HTHL, including the Georgia Forestry Commission at GATrees.org.
Website visitors will immediately be struck by the pleasing graphic design and nature-based colors. Clever bursts of move- ment set a lively, interactive tone. Animated birds fly across the screen, and people reach for apples growing on a tree. Steam rises from coffee cups while bike riders glide by and kids play on swings.
The home page says it all: “Trees can transform your health. There’s something remarkably simple that anyone can do to improve their well-being: Spend time near trees. Learn how healthy trees and forests benefit you and your community.”
In the “About” section, the initiative’s goals are clearly stated:
Our Mission: It is our mission to increase the collective under- standing of our health being connected to our forests and to the trees in and around our communities. We are leading a social change in the United States, helping over time to significantly alter people’s behavioral patterns, cultural values and norms with an inherent understanding and appreciation of our own health being positively affected by trees and forests.
Our Vision: We envision a world where everyone understands the connection between trees, forests and health — and makes daily and long-range decisions based on improving human health through this connection.
Our Values: The Healthy Trees, Healthy Lives initiative is committed to:
Awareness – helping people understand and appreciate how forests positively affect human health.
Access – increasing people’s access and demand for proximity to trees and forests for health reasons.
Action – building an engaged community who actively plan and manage trees and forests specifically for health reasons.
Added value – creating an environment in which people want to learn more about forests and all the other benefits they provide.
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