Dunain Community Woodland in Inverness, Scotland. Dunain Community Woodland

A study from Scotland found that living near an accessible urban woodland significantly lowered the likelihood of being prescribed antidepressants.

The research focused on Scotland’s Woods In and Around Towns program , which aims to plant, restore, or protect woodlands in deprived neighborhoods and make them accessible to the public by installing signs, trails, and walking paths. Launched in 2005, the WIAT program has revitalized nearly 30,000 acres of urban woodlands.

From the beginning, one of the central aims of the program has been to improve mental health. To gauge its success, researchers at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow tracked more than 129,000 people across Scotland over five years.…