השפעת היערות והשטחים הפתוחים על בריאות הגוף והנפש של המבקרים בהם: [מתוך מדור: מאמרי סקירה]

The Forest Management Policy of Israel )FMP( provides an obligatory professional basis for managing Israel's forests in a goal-oriented and sustainable manner, while stressing the importance of the cultural services they supply. This article presents a literature review as part of a study funded by Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael - Jewish National Fund’s )KKL-JNF( Forestry Division, focusing on the contribution of KKL-JNF forests to the physical and mental health of visitors and on the cultural and psychological services they supply. The development of knowledge in this field, and it s adaptation to Israeli cultural, will maximize the contribution to public health by : )1( promoting and encour a ging informed and focused recreational activities )2( promoting cooperation with civil society and organizations engaged in health, education, and community activities )3( establishing the importance of forest conservation and its economic benefits in the eyes of the public and decision makers. In addition, based on the importance of promoting physical and emotional health and cultural services to all population groups, the study also examines the differences between Jewish and Arab society in Israel concerning the benefits derived from forests, and provides recommendations from a multicultural perspective. The article provides a broad survey of the beneficial effects of time spent in forests to health and emotional well-being and of how recreational, cultural, and sports activities benefit their participants. The reviewed literature proposes five main channels that explain nature’s contribution to promoting physical and emotional health: reducing stress and cognitive burden; an environment )including nature, in general, and forests, in particular( that encourages physical activity; an environment that encourages social ties; better air quality in nature, and specifically forests; and the effect of natural substances, such as essential oils emanating from the trees that improve health. The first part of the article reviews the forest’s contribution to emotional and physical health, the ef fect of being in forests on emotional stress, positive and negative emotions and sense of happiness, the ef fect of being in forests on level of attentiveness and other cognitive measures, and the impact of visiting forests have on physical health parameters. The second part discusses the factors explaining the contribution of forests to emotional and physical health, and the third par t demonstrates applic ations for promoting well-being ba sed on the research findings.