First Batch of Forest Therapists Certified, Guiding People to Immerse in Forests with their Five Senses in the Provided “Natural Prescriptions”

Forest therapy is a natural care approach that uses forest environments to improve health. The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture commissioned the Taiwan Forest Therapy Society to establish a forest therapy training platform and formulate a certification system for forest therapists. The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency Forest Therapist Certification Training Platform was officially launched on March 30, 2021. To date, 34 participants have completed the course and internship. The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency held a certification ceremony on October 24th. The certified forest therapists will be able to guide more people to immerse themselves in the mountains through their five senses, while the therapists will also be able to prescribe new natural remedies that can help to enhance people’s physical and mental well-being. This certification will be able to provide quality service to those seeking forest therapy experiences.

Establishing a Training Platform and Certification System
According to the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, the benefits of forest environments for health, including stress relief, improved sleep quality, and enhanced immunity, are becoming widely known with the advancement of modern medicine, as well as research findings on environmental factors such as phytoncides and negative ions on the promotion of health. Many governments and non-governmental organizations around the world are promoting forest therapy as a preventive health or complementary therapeutic approach for the public. The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency commissioned the Taiwan Forest Therapy Society to collect information on domestic and international forest therapy training courses, as well as horticultural therapist certification systems to serve as reference, in order to establish a dedicated forest therapy course in Taiwan. In 2021, the Forest Therapist Certification Training Platform was launched. It provides online core courses, practical activity courses (60 hours of prerequisite courses, 15 hours each for the four modules, and 15 hours of electives), and guided activities and self-organized activities. To date, there are 3,042 registered users on the platform.
Lin Hwa-Ching, Director General of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, pointed out that forest therapy consists of three elements: people, sites, and activities. When engaging in forest therapy activities, in addition to high-quality forest sites, the personnel who guide and accompany people into the forest are an essential part of the experience. Only forest therapists with professional knowledge and skills can plan therapy activities that meet the needs and characteristics of participants. Therefore, the goal of promoting the forest therapist certification is not only to ensure the quality of forest therapy activities in Taiwan, but also to satisfy the requirements of national tourism and long-term medical care, ultimately developing into a healthcare industry with Taiwan’s unique forest features in the future.

Establishing Optimized Sites and Developing Forest Therapy
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency stated that sites suitable for “forest therapy” must fulfill three criteria. First, the forest environment should cover more than 0.5 hectares of land, with trees that are taller than 10 meters and with a canopy coverage of more than 10%. Second, there must be a forest therapist or a forest guide in training, who must have activity-planning abilities. Third, the therapeutic activities should be purposeful, that is, each activity should be targeted at a specific audience and designed for a purpose. Since 2017, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency has been actively developing forest therapy. Eight National Forest Recreation Areas have been selected as demonstration sites for forest therapy experiences. These include Taipingshan, Dongyanshan, Basiansha, Aowanda, Alishan, Shuangliu, Jhihben, and Fuyuan. The facilities of these areas have been optimized so that the environment can be used in the best possible ways, and resources from the surrounding tribal communities have been integrated to develop various forest therapy activities.

Experiencing Nature through the Five Senses, Healing for the Body and Mind
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency explained that forest therapy focuses on promoting human health. Guided by professionals in well-planned forest environments, participants use their five senses to experience nature, feel the vitality of the forest, and allow their mind to connect with the environment (such as listening to the wind and bird calls). This achieves relaxation of the body, mind, and spirit and a bond with nature, allowing the participant to engage in a slow-paced, small-group travel experience. Through a diverse range of planned courses, participants can enhance their physical and mental health by learning about dietary literacy, enrichment of the five senses, and stress relief. The forest therapists possess knowledge in natural science, as well as expertise in mental health, first aid, and exercise, so they can offer correct and appropriate forest therapy advice. Through the guidance of forest therapists, participants can safely and confidently walk, exercise, or rest in nature, and through the instructions of guidance they can help achieve therapeutic effects on both the health of the forest environment and human body and mind.
To learn more about the 34 forest therapists who were certified today (October 24th), their relevant expertise and contact information have been announced on the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s Facebook page and the Forest Therapist Certification Platform. Personnel or groups who are interested in experiencing forest therapy activities are welcome to inquire through the relevant websites. The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency will be actively promoting Taiwan’s forest therapy industry, leveraging the diverse service value of forests, and encouraging more people to become a part of the green industry. The forest therapist certification is internationally recognized, and 10 forest therapists will be selected from this group of 34 forest therapists to attend the International Forest Therapy Congress in Korea on October 26th.