Does the establishment of a ‘forest therapy station’ in a low-mountain mixed hardwood forest make sense?

Forest therapy bases (or ‘stations’) are areas in which psycho-physiological benefits deriving from inhaling the Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs), called terpenes or phytoncides (wood essential oils), which are produced by the trees have been scientifically proven and in which such therapy is managed. In Italy, the ‘Natisone Valleys’ Forest therapy base, in the Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, is the first location in which the forest therapy approach has been established “de facto”, following the strictures of the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies. This study aims to compare the key-features of the Japanese forest therapy bases, which represent a landmark in this research field, with those of the early forest therapy base operating in Italy. By adopting institutional databases, this study finds that the establishment of a forest therapy base in a low-altitude mixed hardwood forest can make sense for the purposes of achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, namely good health and wellbeing. Furthermore, it highlights the opportunities and the dilemmas that any forest therapy base operating in a low-mountain mixed hardwood forest must address in order to follow the Japanese approach and satisfy local priorities at the same time. Further research directions requiring attention are also discussed.