Scientists say the use of woodlands is having a huge impact on the metal health of many in the most deprived areas.

Researchers at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow  said their new study has found improving and maintaining woodlands in deprived communities is linked with reduced antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication use.

People living in deprived communities are less likely to use medication for depression and anxiety if they have easy access to well-maintained woodlands, the research found.

The teams analysed data from more than 129,000 people over five years in one of the largest analyses of its kind, assessing how investments in local woodlands in and around towns in Scotland affect people’s mental health.

The researchers used NHS prescription records and census data to see whether people living within a 10-minute walk of an improved woodland area were more or less likely to be taking medication for depression or anxiety.

Woodland improvements had been supported through Scottish Forestry’s Woods In and Around Towns (WIAT) initiative, which provided funding for practical improvements such as new footpaths, better signage, and community events.

The initiative prioritised areas that were more socially and financially disadvantaged, where woodlands required improved management to reduce barriers and enable more local people to use and enjoy them.

They added people living in urban deprived communities that were close to a woodland area that had been made more welcoming and easier for people to use were 10 per cent less likely to be prescribed antidepressants and six per cent less like to be prescribed anti-anxiety medication, than those living further away.

This was the case even when accounting for other factors linked to mental health outcomes, such as demographics and poverty.

The benefit of living near these woodlands showed up for the same people even when their proximity to these woodlands changed. For example, when someone moved closer to an improved woodland, their need for medication went down.

By tracking the same individuals over time, the researchers say they can be more confident that it was the woodland improvements making the difference, rather than simply healthier or wealthier people happening to live in greener areas.

Professor Catharine Ward Thompson of the OPENspace Research Centre at the University of Edinburgh’s College of Art, who led the study, said “The research provides stronger evidence on the mental health benefits of woodland improvements for local communities than was possible in earlier studies. It also shows that these benefits may contribute to reducing inequalities in health across the population.”

Around one in eight people globally live with a mental health condition, and those in poorer communities tend to be hit hardest. At the same time, these are often the communities with the least access to good quality parks, woodlands, and greenspaces.

The researchers say that their findings make a case for integrating nature-based interventions into public health strategies, particularly in urban areas where greenspace can be limited and poorly maintained in certain neighbourhoods.

Dr Scott Ogletree, of the OPENspace Research Centre at the University of Edinburgh’s College of Art, who undertook the analysis, said: “For the first time, we have an opportunity to link data on mental health services with a long-term national urban forestry intervention programme to offer the kind of evidence required to inform future forestry policy.

Our results tell us that relatively modest investments in local greenspaces can make a real difference to people’s mental health. Nature focused initiatives like WIAT can be a valuable tool to complement ongoing efforts to improve wellbeing and mental health.”

The research team have worked with experts from Scottish Forestry and Forest Research for over 20 years to gather evidence on the social and health benefits that local woodlands can offer to communities, pioneering work on this topic within Europe.

Scottish minister for agriculture, marine and the islands Jim Fairlie, said: “This groundbreaking study provides further compelling evidence of the benefits that local woodlands deliver for people and communities. The association between the investment in woods in and around Scotland’s towns and cities, and lower prescription use for depression, and anxiety highlights the importance of continuing to expand, manage and improve these valuable green spaces.

“The Scottish Government is committed to increasing woodland creation across Scotland, with a target of 18,000 hectares per year by 2029/30. We are also committed to increase tree planting in urban areas to improve air quality, support biodiversity and enhance quality of life for communities across the country.”