One of the things I love most about Forest Therapy is that it creates something our culture is quietly losing: a third place.

Sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the term "third place" to describe the places that exist outside of home (our first place) and work (our second place). Traditionally these were coffee shops, libraries, neighborhood gathering places, parks, and other spaces where people could simply spend time together without an agenda. These places help foster belonging, community, and connection.

Many of us today move between work, home, and screens.

We have hundreds of online connections but fewer opportunities for meaningful face-to-face interactions. Loneliness, burnout, and disconnection have become common experiences.

This is one reason I believe certified Forest Therapy Trails have so much potential.

They are not just trails.

They can become third places.

Places where people return again and again.

Places where they recognize familiar faces and feelings.

Places where they feel welcomed and a strong sense of belonging.

Places where they feel connected to something larger than themselves.

Researchers use the term place attachment to describe the emotional bonds people develop with meaningful places. Place attachment grows through repeated experiences, memories, relationships, and a sense of belonging. Over time, a place becomes part of our identity and contributes to wellbeing, resilience, and community connection.

When I guide Forest Therapy walks, I often see this happen in real time.

People begin by noticing a tree, a bird song, a patch of sunlight, or a familiar bend in the trail.

Then something shifts.

The trail is no longer just a trail.

It becomes their place.

A place they return to when life feels overwhelming.

A place where they have experienced wonder, grief, joy, healing, or connection.

A place where they remember who they are.

The certified Forest Therapy Trail at Chaminade Resort & Spa is one example of how intentional trail design can support this process. Guests often return to the same sit spots, overlooks, and redwood groves, creating personal relationships with the landscape over time.

As we work to bring a certified Forest Therapy Trail to San Mateo County Parks, I find myself thinking less about the trail itself and more about what the trail makes possible.

Could a Forest Therapy Trail become a community's third place?

Could it become a place where healthcare providers recover from burnout?

Where families unplug and reconnect?

Where older adults find belonging?

Where community members learn stewardship and deepen their relationship with local watersheds?

Where people experience not only attachment to place, but responsibility for place?

Research suggests that place attachment increases when people spend time in a place, create memories there, and share experiences with others. Strong place attachment is associated with greater wellbeing, stronger community connections, and increased stewardship behaviors.

Perhaps this is one of the most important opportunities in front of us.

Not simply building trails.

Not simply creating programs.

But creating places where people feel they belong.

In an age of AI, remote work, and increasing social isolation, we need more places that help us reconnect—with ourselves, one another, and the more-than-human world.

Maybe the future of public health is not only found in hospitals and clinics.

Maybe it is also found on a quiet trail beneath the redwoods.

Experience Forest Therapy

You can experience Forest Therapy on the certified trail at Chaminade Resort & Spa:

Chaminade Forest Therapy Trail

Interested in bringing Forest Therapy to your organization, community, healthcare system, or team?

Contact: [email protected]

Learn more:

Somatic Ecotherapy Offerings

Sources & Further Reading

• Ray Oldenburg, The Great Good Place — foundational work introducing the concept of "third places," the spaces outside home and work where community and belonging develop. 
• Scannell, L., & Gifford, R. (2010). Defining Place Attachment: A Tripartite Organizing Framework. This influential paper explores how emotional bonds to meaningful places contribute to identity, wellbeing, and community connection. 
• Kim, S. et al. (2025). Aesthetic–Restorative Qualities and Social Interaction in Public Open Spaces: Investigating the Pathways to Place Attachment. Research exploring how restorative environments and social interaction strengthen attachment to place and support wellbeing. 
• Project for Public Spaces. What is a Third Place? Beyond the Buzzword to True Social Connection. An accessible overview of why third places are critical for combating loneliness and strengthening communities.