Geoff Henley

Feeling the Coronavirus blues? Forest rangers in Iceland are working to clear roads and paths leading up to trees for people to hug as an alternative to hugging friends and family. On the eastern side of Iceland park rangers for the Hallormsstaður National Forest have come up with an interesting way to cope with social isolation, to hug trees. Representatives from the National Forest have encouraged Icelanders to take a walk outside and find a nice tree to hug to start their day off right. …Coronavirus can live on wood up to 4 days, which means you shouldn’t go hugging trees that someone else has hugged recently. While the premise of going out to hug trees sounds pretty silly, research shows that living near a forest makes people happier and increased connectivity with other living things (plants and animals) reduces stress and increases happiness.