One of my colleagues recently shared an article that appeared in the Washington Post on January 29th of this year.  It's about a cardiology researcher who is studying the effects of trees and greenery on people's physical and mental health.  He chose Louisville, KY., for the research and started the "Green Heart Louisville" initiative in 2018.  Since then, contractors and volunteers have planted over 8,000 trees and shrubs in a cluster of middle-to-lower income neighborhoods and measured health data from about 500 residents.  Today the project involves fifty researchers, four universities, four non-profit groups, five state and local governments, and the U.S. Forest Service.

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The study is still going, so there aren’t any final results yet.  But some interesting things are emerging.  One hypothesis, for example is that trees release natural chemicals into the air that reduce blood pressure and stress.

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washingtonpost.com/health/2024/01/29/louisville-trees-heart-health/