Matthew Cleary came to Canada from California. He had been working in national and state parks in the USA and moved here with his skills and his Québecoise wife in 2008 to raise their family. Our trail director, Mahicans Diamond, met Matthew in the region and soon they became good friends through their shared experiences.
Mahicans called Matthew to team up with him and build the trails at Scowen Park in North Hatley. Together they have been working on the Massawippi trails since the Trust first started to build them six years ago.
Everyone, without exception, that I have met has enjoyed their walking experience and many have said they are the best trails they have ever used. Known for their natural, easy going surfaces that blend into the environment, the Trail has been “discovered” during the pandemic as one of the best kept secrets. Some people want to keep it a secret, but not Matthew. When asked what he wanted to see in ten, twenty or thirty years, he replied, ‘’ I hope our network of trails will become widely known and that people come to use and enjoy them. It is good for their health and for others to see people walking, knowing they are not alone in this endeavor to enjoy the woods. It is good for the health of a community.’’

Our network reflect the personality of the trail builders. When I first met Matthew, I was struck by his kindness and generosity of spirit. As the Massawippi Trail foreman he is responsible to bring Mahicans’ dreams to life. He is practical man, a teacher, someone who studies the forest, it’s natural and human history. He notes the way people have left their imprint on the land. Smiling, he tells the story of cleaning Ethan’s beach and finding the history of Quebec beer through the bottles and cans people had left in the woods. An anthropologist perhaps, but first and foremost a trail builder who wants to build paths through the forest that respect the environment as well as creating a safe, friendly space for people to benefit from the woodlands.
Matthew is part of a team of three professional trail builders. Each summer, students are hired to be trained and work alongside the professionals. Matthew is their teacher and guide. I think it is a testament to the quality of their experience that the students often return for a second and third year. He loves their enthusiasm and desire to learn new skills building the trails. It is one of his favorite aspects of the job.
In the Spring, Mahicans and Matthew study the terrain and lay out a plan for each section they plan to build that year. Depending on the year, they build between two and three kilometers of trail. The Massawippi  Conservation Trust who owns the land and is responsible for its conservation has a goal of building up to 25 kilometers of trails in all.
The Trails is mostly built by hand. Occasionally some equipment is brought in for a particular section or piece of work but generally the builders use human power and ingenuity such as ropes and pulleys to haul logs and rocks. 90% of the materials used are from the surrounding forest. Matthew says not only does this save money but it is also means they are not introducing any foreign substances that might alter the biodiversity.
He speaks respectfully about cutting trees to be used on the stairs and other infrastructure. “If you remove one tree from a spot, it means more light, more water for the smaller trees who can then grow faster.”  He selects trees which are tall and straight (less waste) and those that are close to other trees. Or he chooses those that are in danger of falling down. “I hate to cut a tree but I don’t feel guilty because we are not removing anything from the system.”
Rocks, carefully selected from the forest, help people cross streams and line the edges of the trails to prevent erosion. Steps are built of logs, whose bark is removed and that are flattened on top to create a natural spot to place your foot. The trails follow the contours of the land. The person walking is considered, adding steps where the incline might be too steep to climb or a rock bridge to help them hop across a gully.
Margot Heyerhoff, President of the Massawippi Foundation which is the funding arm of the Massawippi Conservation Trust added this comment:
”From our earliest days, our Board decided it wanted to put ecologically sensitive trails into our protected properties.  We felt that it was not enough to just admire this conserved mountain from driving along Route 143 on the other side of the lake.  We wanted people to be able to experience what had been conserved by being inside this amazing forest. Matthew is helping make our dreams a reality.”
The trail network is almost complete on Wardman sector. This summer Matthew and the team will finish the loop on the Wippi North trail and then move onto a whole new section of the property.
No longer a secret, I think Matthew is pleased to know that the result of the hard work of the team has paid off and has helped so many find a healthier balance in life by walking here during the past difficult year.
I look forward to walking under the green canopy very soon and hope to run into Matthew and the trail builders who will be back at work in May.  If you see them, please stop and say hello.

So much has been written on this topic it is hard to know where to begin. Let us start by the definition and what forest bathing is NOT.
As you can surmise from the name Shinrin-yoku is a Japanese term which was coined in 1982 by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to describe humans making contact with nature or bathing in the forest atmosphere, in order to reduce stress and to connect with the natural healing properties of nature. Strictly speaking immersing your senses in the forest, Shinrin means forest and yoku means bathing.
The mid to late 1980’s in Japan was a time of economic boom and high stress in an overworked population where an average work week of 60 hours was not unusual. The alarm bell sounded as more and more people became sick or died from over work and stress. They were living the first urban stress epidemic in the world. The Japanese health authorities didn’t know what to do so they began to look at research about nature and its health benefits and from this developed a practice called Shinrin-yoku.

Forest bathing is not hiking. In fact you may only walk 500 meters or less while practicing. You can do it on your own or with a group. It is advised to start with a guide who can teach you to understand what it is to connect with nature and how to use your senses to find the active ingredients in nature.
The effects of stress, burnout and other widely felt health problems have been increasing and hit a new proportion as a result of the pandemic. The Massawippi Conservation Trust saw a huge increase in the number of people who sought out the Massawippi Trail as a means to relieve their stress.
Forest Bathing can be a de-stressor. The practice encourages connecting to nature through our senses. Leaving your phone, schedule and fitness regimen behind you can restore your health and begin to recover from both physiological stress and cognitive stress.
There are many research papers and books about the topic. Dr. Qing Li is a recognized leader in forest medicine. He is medical doctor at Tokyo’s Nippon Medical School and is a founding member and chairman of the Japanese Society for Forest Medicine, a leading member of the Task Force of Forests and Human Health, and the vice president and secretary general of the International Society of Nature and Forest Medicine.

You might want to start your research by reading his book published in 2018:
FOREST BATHING: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness

As quoted from La Presse1 and reprinted here in translation:
SYLVOTHERAPY
THE FOREST AGAINST STRESS
For Dr Qing Li, author of the book Shinrin-Yoku, the art and science of forest bathing, it is therefore necessary for city dwellers to be able to recharge their batteries by going for a walk in nature. He advises spending at least two hours in the forest (20 minutes would already be beneficial) walking, aimlessly, without a smartphone, enjoying the trees, their natural smells and essences, their colours, the birdsong, the soothing landscape and the sounds of nature. It’s not about jogging or exercise, “but simply being in touch with nature, soaking up the forest through our five senses and reconnecting with it,” says Dr Qing Li.
PROMOTING RELAXATION
In this book, Dr Qing Li, an immunologist at the Department of Hygiene and Public Health at Tokyo Medical University, shares his research on the links between forests and health. Since 2003, research has shown that forest bathing can strengthen the immune system, reduce anxiety, depression and anger, give energy, reduce blood pressure and stress, and promote relaxation,” he says. Forest bathing also improves concentration and memory, cardiovascular function and metabolism, lowers blood sugar levels and increases protein production against cancer. “

Below is a brief list to Forest Bathing papers, articles and websites to help you discover more about Forest Bathing.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31210473/
[Effect of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) on human health: A review of the literature]
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19568835/
The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan.

https://time.com/5259602/japanese-forest-bathing/
http://www.shinrin-yoku-quebec.org/blog/2017/9/10/le-shinrin-yoku-pour-les-nuls-quentend-on-par-invitation-
https://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/378351e1-b743-4656-adc8-27c51af3e039__7C___0.html
https://www.hellobc.com/stories/what-the-heck-is-forest-bathing-5-things-you-didnt-know-about-shinrin-yoku-in-bc/
https://www.natureandforesttherapy.org/
https://www.natureandleadership.com/

1  Lévy, Olivia (May 26, 2018). « La forêt contre le stress ». Dans La Presse, Montréal.   https://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/378351e1-b743-4656-adc8-27c51af3e039__7C___0.html