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Lahti Health Forest

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“Your own local forest can also be a health forest, if you take advantage of its health benefits. In Lahti, the Health Forest is part of the larger Salpausselkä woodland park near Päijät Häme Central Hospital.”

Taru Suutari, Project Manager

Almost any forest can be a health forest, but Lahti has a special area named Lahti Health Forest. It is located in the Salpausselkä woodland park near Päijät Häme Central Hospital, about six kilometers from the city center. The Lahti Health Forest consists of a 3,4 km woodland route and the conjoining accessible Likolampi nature trail.

The Health Forest is free for everyone to enjoy and caters for different fitness levels. One of its goals is to provide the staff and patients at Päijät Häme Central Hospital the opportunity to utilize the Health Forest for both occupational wellbeing and patient therapy.

There have been numerous studies proving the health benefits of nature, such as promoting recovery from stress. These studies have identified certain types of forests aiding more in recovery: the ideal health forest is pleasant, diverse and easily accessible.

Explore Lahti’s health forest and the well-being effects of nature on YouTube

Kettle terrain and accessible trails

The Health Forest woodland route is mainly located in the Kintterö nature reserve, where the visitor can enjoy kettle terrain typical for Salpausselkä. On the woodland route one can admire the kettle bog and take a rest while admiring the calming Kintterönlampi scenery. The woodland route partially joins the exercise trail meant for both walking and biking.

The Likolampi accessible nature trail is located right next to Päijät Häme Central Hospital, and is easily accessible to the hospital staff and patients. The accessible Likolampi route is easy to traverse with or without mobility aids, and offers a relaxing pond view. Along the route one can also admire the wooden sculptures by Lahden Taiteilijaseura.

Experience the forest with all senses

To further improve recovery in the Health Forest one should slow down and sense the surrounding nature. At the rest areas along the route there are sensory exercises, which instruct the viewer to stop and take in the surrounding nature.

The Lahti Health Forest is being developed as part of the EU Horizon-funded GoGreenRoutes -project.

The goal of the project is to promote a positive relationship between man and nature, enforce the citizens connection to nature and create possibilities for enforcing the human-nature relationship.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 869764. The sole responsibility for the content of this document lies with GoGreeRoutes project and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union. 

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