On page 20-21 of the current Wilderness Society magazine that I just
received there is an article about recent scientific studies that showed
reduction in blood pressure, diabetes and cancer by walking in old growth
broad leaf forest:

"In their experiments, the Japanese scientists uncovered hard evidence that
walking in the forest decreases the blood glucose levels of diabetic
patients and that people who view forest scenery for 20 minutes have a 13
percent lower blood concentration of the stress hormone cortisol than people
viewing urban settings. They have revealed that forest walking compared with
city walking boosts the activity of natural killer cells, immune cells that
fight cancer- an effect that may last for as long as 30 days. And in 2008,
they reported that people living in areas with a higher percentage of forest
cover had lower mortality rates for cancers of the lung, breast, uterus,
prostate, kidney, and colon, compared with people living in areas with
lighter forest cover, even after factoring in socioeconomic status."

It is not up on the www.wilderness.org website yet. Cheers.

Marc