NEWS

Partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney (November 2020)

INFTA is pleased to announce that the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, New South Wales, has signed an Agreement for the Provision of Services with the Institute of Forest Therapy, INFTA’s Accredited Training Provider in Australia. As part of this agreement, regular Forest Therapy sessions will now be offered at all three locations in and around Australia’s most populated city, Sydney:

• The Blue Mountains Botanic Garden – Mount Tomah
• The Australian Botanic Garden – Mount Annan
• The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney

The first Public Forest Therapy events have resumed at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden. If interested you can book your Forest Therapy event right here. Forest Therapy sessions at the other two locations will start in early 2021. All three locations, are open to corporate, private and school bookings, too.

If you are interested to become an INFTA-Certified and Accredited Forest Therapy Guide operating at those new locations, please apply here.

Anti-viral properties of essential oils and phytoncides  (June 2020)

The latest research from INFTA’s Advisory Board Member, Prof. Dr. David Wang, and colleagues from the National Chung Hsing University in collaboration with Bio-Jourdeness International Groups Co. Ltd. and the Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, in Taiwan identified very interesting and promising anti-viral properties of specific phytoncides in essential oils. The researchers found that the active compounds in geranium and lemon essential oils are able to downregulate Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2), a SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding protein, in epithelial cells. As you are aware, SARS-CoV-2 is the virus responsible for the current COVID-19 epidemic.

While this does not mean that inhaling geranium of lemon oil will work as a vaccine against any COVID-19 infection, the important finding demonstrates the immense biochemical potential inherent in natural substances. The findings suggest that selected phytoncides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may, indeed, contribute to strengthening the human immune system in ways previously not thought possible. No doubt, key findings like that should translate into further research into the medical properties of Forest Therapy. INFTA congratulates David and his team to this innovative breakthrough in biochemistry/biophysiology!

Forest Therapy and Coronavirus Pandemic (March 2020)

INFTA has received a lot of inquiries if and to which degree Forest Therapy as a preventive Public health practice may be able to assist in combating the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. INFTA wishes to underline that Forest Therapy exposes participants to inhaling a very diverse range of phytoncides when walking under the canopy of trees. These phytoncides bolster the human immune system. However, while some phytoncides have anti-viral properties (see, for example, Astani & Schnitzler 2014 and Pertino et al 2018), there is no known phytoncide, terpene or volatile organic compound (VOC) that destroys directly the new SARS-CoV (Coronavirus). SARS-CoV causes the medical condition referred to by the WHO as COVID-19.

However, INFTA recommends to walk in nature and in forests regularly and to participate in Forest Therapy events to strenghten your immune system, physical and mental well-being. INFTA wishes everyone affected by COVID-19 a speedy and full recovery.

Devastating Bush Fires in Australia (January 2020)

INFTA regrets the massive loss of life, environment and habitat caused by the raging bush fires in Australia. From an international perspective and being concerned about Public health and the lifestyle of people, INFTA urges governments and responsible stakeholders to pay attention to the immense value of our environment, in particular the health benefits natural forests provide. Losing millions of hectares of forests and bush in Australia coupled with the tragic loss of life of people, wildlife and fauna is a human and environmental catastrophe. It should remind us to have better preventive measures and policies in place. We – the people and communities – have to take immediate action to prevent such avoidable environmental destruction from happening again. As much as we need the forests for our very own health and well-being, the forests need us – now!

INFTA 2019 Graduation Ceremony (November 2019)

Samantha Dunn, former State Member of Parliament in Victoria and a Member of INFTA’s Advisory Board was the Guest of Honour at the 2019 Graduation Ceremony of INFTA-Certified and Accredited Forest Therapy Guides. The Graduation Ceremony was held during yet another successfully completed INFTA Forest Therapy Introduction at Pallotti College, located in the scenic Yarra Valley outside Melbourne.

International Handbook of Forest Therapy (December 2019)

INFTA is proud to announce the publication of the International Handbook of Forest Therapy (IHFT). The handbook is released by Cambridge Scholars Publishing in the UK.

The IHFT is the collaborative work of some 50 authors, edited by Dr. Dieter Kotte (editor-in-chief; Secretary and International Strategic Advisor, INFTA), Prof. Dr. Qing Li (co-editor; Nippon Medical School, Japan), Prof. Dr. Won Sop Shin (co-editor; Chungbuk University, Republic of Korea) and Prof. Dr. Andreas Michalsen (co-editor; Chair of Clinical Integrative Medicine, Charité-University Medical School, Germany).

The International Handbook of Forest Therapy is available as hardcover and digital copy through all common sales channels.

Professional Collaboration with the Australian Counselling Association (June 2019)

INFTA has registered with the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) getting its Forest Therapy training courses recognized and accredited. As a counsellor, registered with the ACA, you can now apply for 10 credit points for your required Ongoing Professional Development (OPD) when registering with any of INFTA’s training courses – in Australia or abroad. With this, INFTA has become the only international organisation in the area of Forest Therapy which has been accredited by ACA and the community of professional counsellors.

As an ACA-registered counsellor, you can click right here to register for the next Forest Therapy courses and secure your OPD points:

• ACA – Forest Therapy September 2019 (10 OPD points)
• ACA – Forest Therapy November 2019 (10 OPD points)

INFTA’s Secretary as Visiting Professor in China (May 2019)

INFTA’s Secretary and International Strategic Advisor, Dr. Dieter Kotte, came as Visiting Professor to the College of Economics and Management at Northeast Forestry University at Harbin/China. He was welcomed by Prof. Dr. Jinbao Su (Chair of Tourism Management). INFTA’s Secretary gave several important lectures on Forest Therapy and the relevance for the Chinese economy in the next decade (for the English translation, please see here).

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with Swiss Task Force (April 2019)

INFTA is proud to announce the comprehensive MoU signed with the Swiss Task Force to foster research, policy development and Public awareness in the area of Forest Therapy. This collaboration forms part of the innovative Swiss-based project “Our forests for our health” (Unsere Wälder für die Gesundheit). The aim of the project is to develop an evidence-based and verifiable multi-professional concept fostering the introduction and implementation of Forest Therapy in Switzerland. The Swiss Task Force is spearheaded by medical professionals (Cardiodyn) as well as forestry and Public health experts (Pan Bern AG). A first nation-wide round table to design and operationalize the best way forward will take place in September 2019. INFTA will provide the required international input.

Successful INFTA-Certified Forest Therapy Guide Training (March 2019)

Another successful international training workshop was conducted 6-10 March at Pallotti College, Victoria/Australia. The five-day INFTA Forest Therapy Introduction which forms the beginning of the six-months comprehensive, mentored and supervised INFTA-Certified Forest Therapy Guide Training was joined by an international and diverse group of participants originating from Singapore, Australia and Colombia.