Take a moment to visualize.
Picture the most recent time you spent recreating outdoors. What were you doing? Maybe you laced up your hiking boots or saddled your mountain bike to explore tree-lined trails. Perhaps you ventured to your neighborhood park for a scenic walk or jog. Maybe you enjoyed time with family and friends under the shade of local oak tree. Or perhaps, without even entering a forest or green space at all, you simply stepped outside to soak up birdsong and take a deep breath of fresh air.
Forests and green spaces draw outdoor enthusiasts to their trails, lakes and streams to pursue passions that boost both physical and mental health. Spending time in forests and other green spaces has been shown to reduce stress signals in the body like cortisol and blood pressure, as well as improve mood and self-esteem.
Photo Credit: Andrew Studer / American Forests
And no wonder forests make us feel good — even the air we breathe there is healthier. Tree canopy shades and protects the air beneath its branches, cutting ground-level ozone — smog’s main ingredient — in half, compared to the air outside the forest. Forests — which serve as the lungs of the Earth — provide us with a figurative and literal breath of fresh air.
“The first thing I do when I hit a trail is take a few big, deep breaths and revel in the clean air, the smell of trees breathing, and the noticeable difference from surrounding areas that lack trees,” says Dr. Libby Pansing, American Forests’ director of forest and restoration science. “The relaxation and sense of peace those breaths bring fuel my desire to explore — for minutes or hours on foot, snowboard or bike. With each step, turn or pedal, I’m reminded of the irreplaceable role of forests in our human experience, grateful for the clean air that refreshes our lungs and the resources forests provide us and the economies they support.”
They’re not just for recreation: Communities survive on resilient forests
Every year and all across the country, people seek out forests to soak up all that they offer. In 2024 alone, more than 331 million people visited national parks for recreation — the largest number ever recorded. Along with supporting the many benefits of recreation, forests — and the forest stewards they attract — also support the communities that surround them.
Outdoor recreation funneled $1.2 trillion into the U.S. economy in 2023 and supported 5 million jobs. These jobs are especially important in rural communities across the country, and particularly in Lakeview, Ore.
In Lakeview, a longtime forestry economy is paired with an extensive local trail system for hiking and biking, lakes and rivers for boating and fishing, and snowy winters for skiing and snowmobiling. Without healthy forests to support its economy, the residents of Lakeview who rely on these forests for their businesses and livelihoods suffer.
Photo Credit: Andrew Studer / American Forests
Threatened forests threaten livelihoods
In recent years, frequent and extensive wildfires in Lakeview’s surrounding forests have threatened the town’s everyday activities and its larger economy. Thom Batty — owner of Tall Town Bike and Camp, a local hub for all things outdoor recreation — says that wildfires have kept mountain bikers and other outdoor enthusiasts off the trails while creating hazardous conditions for those whose livelihoods depend on the surrounding forests.
Photo Credit: Andrew Studer / American Forests
“The impact of wildfires on outdoor recreation is really fairly severe here,” Batty says, both on those with health conditions like asthma and on anyone who wants to spend time outdoors.
While forests normally filter out air pollutants, wildfire means the fresh air that trees provide literally goes up in smoke — a problem that goes well beyond the forest boundaries.
“Even though the fire may be miles away, we’ll get air conditions that people just can’t take,” Batty says.
Partnering for resilience: Restoring forests to restore a community
The impacts of these fires on outdoor recreation and the economy of the wider community last even after the smoke clears. On a section of the Fremont-Winema National Forest burned in the 2021 Cougar Fire, the U.S. Forest Service’s Amy Markus points out swaths of blackened Ponderosa pines: “We now have trails that are in a sea of dead trees,” she says. These trees are active hazards for forest users; once they fall, they can also block access for hikers, bikers and other local trail users.
This limited access has a ripple effect on Lakeview residents, and on every forest-dependent community hit by wildfires. This is one of the reasons why American Forests has developed collaborative, cross-sector partnerships to help restore forests across south central Oregon, including with the outdoor brand Clif Bar. Clif has been supporting American Forests’ work to restore Lakeview’s surrounding forests and to build in resilience for future fires to further the brand’s deep connection to recreation.
Photo Credit: Andrew Studer / American Forests
“Fires negatively affect nearby communities in so many ways, especially for individuals who directly rely on forests to support their businesses,” says Sarah Beaubien, senior director, Impact and Sustainability, at Mondelez International, the company which acquired Clif Bar in 2022. “And, more broadly, forests are a really important place for people to enjoy being active out in nature and doing the things they love to do. Spending time outside can serve as a support for mental health for so many.”
The need to protect the lungs of the Earth — along with the lungs of those who work and play in these forests — is not specific to Oregon. It spans landscapes across the country. American Forests is working to increase the resilience of these beloved landscapes through climate-smart reforestation, science-backed solutions and collaborative partnerships.
This Earth Month, if you believe every breath counts, then you believe every tree, every landscape and every community that relies on them matters, too. Don’t hold your breath, join us in protecting the lungs of the Earth and the lungs of our communities.
