Person vid sjö med skog i bakgrunden
FORSKARGRUPP

SLU Skog och Hälsa

Uppdaterad: juni 2025

Inom Skog och Hälsa vid SLU bedriver vi tvärvetenskaplig forskning, utvecklingsarbete och samverkar med det omgivande samhället.

Vi är specialister på skogsmiljön och samarbetar med forskare inom andra discipliner, oftast medicin och miljöpsykologi, för att kunna svara på våra frågeställningar.

Vi representerar själva olika dicipliner och samarbetar mellan 3 olika fakulteter och orter inom SLU!

 

Målet med forskningen är att visa på sambanden mellan skogen och människans hälsa:

  • Vilken typ av skog är viktigast för hälsan? 
  • Vad är det som händer med människan både fysiskt och psykiskt när man vistas i skogsmiljön?

Cerwén, G., Pederssen, E. & Pálsdóttir, A.M. (2016). The role of soundscape in nature-based rehabilitation: a patient perspective/ patients ‘perspectives. Special issue: Landscape & Health, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13, 1229 https://doi:10.3390/ijerph13121229

Dolling A, Nilsson H, Lundell Y. 2017. Stress recovery in forest or handicraft environments - An intervention study. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 27:162-172.

Gentin, S., Pitkänen, K., Chondromatidou, A.M., Præstholm, S., Dolling, A. & Pálsdóttir, A.M. (2019). Nature-based integration of immigrants in Europe: a review. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2019.126379

Gunnarsson B, Knez I, Hedblom M, Ode Sang Å. 2017. Effects of biodiversity and environment-related attitude on perception of urban green space. Urban Ecosystem. 20, 37-49.

Hedblom M, Gunnarsson B, Iravani B, Knez I, Schaefer M, Thorsson P, Lundström JN. 2019. Reduction of physiological stress by urban green space in a multisensory virtual experiment. 2019. Scientific Reports.

Hedblom M, Heyman E, Antonsson H, Gunnarsson B. 2014. Bird song diversity influences people´s appreciation of urban landscapes. Urban Forest & Urban Greening. Vol 13: 3, 469–474

Hedblom M, Knez I, Ode-Sang Å, Gunnarsson B. 2017. Evaluation of natural sounds in urban  greenery: potential impact for urban nature preservation. Royal Society Open Science. 4:170037.

Knez I, Gunnarsson B, Ode Sang Å, Hedblom M. 2018. Wellbeing in Urban Greenery: The Role of Naturalness and Place Identity. Frontiers in Psychology.

Matusiak, B., Sarey Khanie, M., Moscoso, C., Pálsdóttir, A. M., Appelt, S., Hemauer, C., … Sokol, N. (2025). View Quality Assessments: A Pilot Study of Field Methods. LEUKOS, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/15502724.2024.2443188

Nielsen AB, Hedblom M, Stahl Olafsson A, Wiström B. 2017. Spatial configurations of urban forest in  different landscape and socio-political contexts: identifying patterns for green infrastructure planning. Urban Ecosystems. DOI: 10.1007/s11252-016-0600-y

Nordström E-M, Dolling A, Skärbäck E, Stoltz J, Annerstedt van den Bosch M, Grahn P, Lundell Y. 2015. Forests for wood production and stress recovery - trade-offs in long-term forest management planning. European Journal of Forest Research 134:755-767. 10.1007/s10342-015-0887-x 

Ode Sang Å, Sang N, Hedblom M, Sevelin G, Knez I, B. Gunnarsson. 2020. Are path choices of people moving through urban green spaces explained by gender and age? Implications for planning and management. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening

Pálsdóttir, A. M., Persson, D., Persson, B. & Grahn, P. (2014). The Journey of Recovery and Empowerment Embraced by Nature — Clients’ Perspectives on Nature-Based Rehabilitation in Relation to the Role of the Natural Environment. Special issue: Health benefits of nature, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 11(7):7094-7115. 

Pálsdóttir, A.M. (2017). Det skånska landskapets betydelse för folkhälsan. Kapitel. 4.2. i Romeleåsen och Sjölandskapet, en kunskapssammanställning av Per Blomberg; Romeleåsen- och sjölandskapskommittén RÅSK 2017.

Pálsdóttir, A.M., Sempik, J., Bird, W., van den Bosch, M. (2018). Using nature as a treatment option. 4.1, pp. 125-131. In: Oxford Textbook of Nature and Public Health. (Eds. van den Bosch, M. & Bird, W.). OUP, UK.

Pálsdóttir, A.M., Shahrad, A., Åström, M. & Ekstam, L. (2018). Nature-based vocational rehabilitation for migrants participating in the national scheme of integration. Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture. Volume XXVIII, Issue II. ISSN 2381-5337.

Pálsdóttir, A.M., Stigsdotter, U., Persson, D., Thorpert, P. & Grahn, P. (2018). The qualities of natural environments that support the rehabilitation process of individuals with stress-related mental disorder in nature-based rehabilitation. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2017.11.016

Pálsdóttir, A.M. Stigmar, K., Norrving, B., Petersson, I.F., Åström., M. and Pessah-Rasmussen, H. (2020). The Nature stroke study; NASTRU - A randomised controlled trial of nature-based post-stroke fatigue rehabilitation. Journal of Medicine Rehabilitation. DOI: 10.2340/16501977-2652

Pálsdóttir, A.M., O’Brien, L. & Dolling, A. (2020). Nature based vocational training for nature conservation and human wellbeing in Skåne, Sweden. In Ed Gallis, C. Forest and Human Health I. Chapter 8. Cambridge Scholar Publishing, UK.

Pálsdóttir, A.M., Spendrup, S., Mårtensson, L., and Wendin, K. (2021). Garden smellscape – experiences of plant scents in nature-based intervention. Frontiers in Psychology, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.667957

Pálsdóttir AM, O´Brien L, Varning Poulsen D, Dolling A. 2021. Exploring a migrant´s sense of belonging through participation in an urban agricultural vocational training program in Sweden. Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture 31:11-23.

Sonntag-Öström E, Nordin M, Dolling A, Lundell Y, Nilsson L, Slunga Järvholm L. 2015. Can rehabilitation in boreal forests help recovery from exhaustion disorder? – The randomised clinical trial ForRest. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research. 30:8, 732-748. DOI:10.1080/02827581.2015.1046482.

Sonntag-Öström E, Nordin M, Lundell Y, Dolling A, Wiklund U, Karlsson M, Carlberg B, Slunga Järvholm L. 2014. Restorative effects of visits to urban and forest environments in patients with exhaustion disorder. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. 13: 344-354. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2013.12.007 

Sonntag-Öström E, Nordin, M, Slunga Järvholm L, Lundell Y, Brännström R, Dolling A. 2011. Can the boreal forest be used for rehabilitation and recovery from stress-related exhaustion? A pilot study. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 26: 245-256. doi: 10.1080/02827581.2011.558521

Sonntag-Öström E, Stenlund T, Nordin M, Lundell Y, Ahlgren C, Fjellman-Wiklund A, Slunga-Järvholm, L, Dolling A. 2015. "Nature's effect on my mind." - Patients' qualitative experiences of a forest-based rehabilitation programme. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 14(3): 607-614.  

Sonntag-Öström E. 2014. Forest for Rest. Recovery from exhaustion disorder. Umeå University Medical Dissertations, New Series No 1667. (Institutionen för Folkhälsa och Klinisk Medicin, enheten för yrkes- och miljömedicin, Umeå Universitet) ISBN 978-91-7601-083-9, ISSN 0346-6612.

Stoltz J, Lundell Y, Skärbäck E, Annerstedt van den Bosch, M, Grahn P, Nordström E-M, Dolling A. 2016. Planning for restorative forests: describing stress-reducing qualities of forest stands using available forest stand data. European Journal of Forest Research 135:803–813. DOI:10.1007/s10342-016-0974-7

Sveinsdottir, A., Palsdottir, A.M. & Stabbetorp, O. (2008). Effects of afforestation on landscape and public health. In: Halldorsson, G., Oddsdottir, E.S. & Sigurdsson, B.D. (Eds.), AFFORDNOD Effects of afforestation on ecosystems, landscape and rural devlopment. TemaNord 2008:562. 

Gentin S, Chondromatidou, AM, Pitkänen K, Dolling A, Prästholm S, Palsdottir AM 2018. Defining nature-based integration. Perspectives and practices from the Nordic countries. Reports of the Finnish environment institute 16.

Pitkänen K, Gentin S, Dolling A, Pálsdóttir AM, Præstholm S, Figari H, Chondromatidou AM, Riki A. 2018. Nature based integration. A solution for immigrant integration in Nordic countries.

Lundell Y, Dolling A, Nordström E-M, Skärbäck E, Stoltz J, Annerstedt van den Bosch M, Grahn P. 2015. Rehabiliteringsskog och virkesproduktion – Går de att kombinera? Fakta Skog, nr 6

Lundell Y och Dolling A. 2010. Kan skogsmiljöer användas vid rehabilitering av människor med utmattningssyndrom? Fakta Skog nr 13 

 

Dolling A, Ålund A, Mårtensson Ekström B, Gunnarsson F. 2017. Främja nyanländas väg till anställning i de gröna näringarna och naturvården. Skogsstyrelsen. Meddelande 2.

Dolling A och Nordström E-M. 2016. Skogens ekosystemtjänster. En ännu högre grad av förvirring? KSLA Nytt & Noterat 2:2016.

Dolling A och Stenborg Blom C.2015. Mångfald i skogen. pp. 26-27. I Kungliga Skogs- och Lantbruksakademiens Tidskrift 2.  

 

Se också:

NORDIC NATURE HEALTH HUB