Health Networked trees reduce the risk of death, according to Swiss study
The risk of mortality is lower in neighborhoods with many and sensibly arranged trees than elsewhere. This was shown by researchers from ETH Zurich in a new study published in the journal "The Lancet Planetary Health".
20.03.2025, 09:13
SDA
Large, contiguous areas of trees appear to offer more health benefits than scattered, fragmented green spaces, as the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) explained in a press release on the study on Thursday.
For their study, the ETH researchers analyzed tree canopy data and data on more than six million adults over a period of ten years. According to the university, the researchers created an individual profile for each of these people.
Arrangement of the trees is important
The analysis showed that it is not only the quantity of trees that counts, but also their arrangement. According to the study, people who live in neighborhoods with large, well-connected tree canopy areas have a significantly lower probability of mortality than those whose surroundings only have a few, fragmented and complexly shaped tree canopy areas.
This correlation is particularly pronounced in densely built-up urban areas with poor air quality and high temperatures: if such areas have very advantageous greenery, the mortality rate is significantly lower than in comparable areas with poor greenery.
"Although we cannot yet prove a direct causal relationship, even when we take into account factors such as age, gender and socioeconomic status, the data show clear correlations," said Dengkai Chi, one of the lead authors of the study, from ETH Zurich.
