Tara L. Brown, PhD

Doctoral Research

Investigating the influence of forest bathing and environmental factors on health outcomes through a randomized controlled trial in Vancouver’s forested parks.

Dissertation: Forest bathing in Metro Vancouver, Canada: a randomized crossover study examining health outcomes and environmental and vegetation influences (The University of British Columbia, Faculty of Forestry, 2025, supervised by Dr. John Innes).

Research Themes

Forest bathing, forest therapy, shinrin-yoku, nature therapy, environmental health, environmental monitoring, acoustic ecology, sensory restoration, trail assessment protocols, vegetation surveying, AI evaluation.

Research Interests

• Environmental Health: Investigating the intersection of environmental factors (soundscapes, quiet corridors, canopy density, microclimate) with public health outcomes and nervous system regulation.
• Forest Therapy: Focusing on the physiological and psychological benefits of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku), developing scalable models for clinical practice, regional parks, and community wellbeing.
• AI and Nature Evaluation: Testing how frontier AI models evaluate natural spaces for therapeutic use compared to human field assessments, including perturbation testing with wildlife and habitat conflict data, and defining human observation thresholds.
• Digital Innovation: Developing augmented reality (AR) applications to simulate immersive nature experiences, making forest therapy accessible to individuals facing physical, mobility, or logistical barriers.
• Community Engagement: Championing community science initiatives, open sensor deployments, and public library STEAM programs to foster inclusive citizen participation in environmental monitoring.
• Environmental Monitoring: Conducting rigorous field research to understand the health impacts of specific environmental conditions, with a focus on acoustic quality, decibel logging, and sensory affordances.

Academic Background

• 2021 to 2025
  Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
  Sustainable Forest Management Research Group · Supervised by Dr. John Innes
  Dissertation: Forest bathing in Metro Vancouver, Canada: a randomized crossover study examining health outcomes and environmental and vegetation influences
• 2019
  Certificate on Education for Sustainable Development, Sustainability Studies, University for Peace (UPEACE), UN Mandated, Costa Rica
• 2003
  Bachelor of Science in Technology Management, Post University, Waterbury, CT

Certifications and Fellowships

• 2026
  Fall Cohort, Sentient Futures Project Incubator
• 2023 to 2025
  Fellow, Centre for Japanese Research, Institute of Asian Research, UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs
• 2023 to 2025
  Public Scholar, UBC Public Scholars Initiative, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
• 2021
  Certified Forest Therapy Guide, Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, Credential ID 77 (Hummingbird)
• 2019
  Forest Medicine Trainee, International Society of Nature and Forest Medicine (INFOM)

Professional Experience

• 2021 to Present
  Independent Researcher and Program Designer (Founder, Silent Trails and Sit Spot Club), Vancouver, BC
• 2021 to 2025
  Doctoral Researcher and Clinical Trial Lead, UBC Faculty of Forestry, Vancouver, BC
• 2014 to 2021
  Co-Founder, Board Member, and CEO, KitHub, Los Angeles, CA, and Tokyo, Japan
• 2012 to 2019
  Co-Founder, Board Member, and Board Chair, Los Angeles Makerspace, Los Angeles, CA
• 2015 to 2016
  Co-Founder, Board Member, and Technical Director, Connected Camps, Los Angeles, CA
• 2012 to 2016
  Technical Director, DML Research Hub at UC Irvine, Irvine, CA
• 2008 to 2010
  Senior Program Manager and Account Manager: Artist Services, Topspin Media, Los Angeles and San Francisco, CA
• 2000 to 2008
  Senior Lead Program Manager, Microsoft, Mountain View, CA, and Redmond, WA

Projects

Awards and Grants

• Public Scholar, UBC Public Scholars Initiative, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (2023 to 2025)
• Fellow, Centre for Japanese Research, Institute of Asian Research, UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (2023 to 2025)
• UBC President’s Academic Excellence Initiative PhD Award (2021 to 2025)
• Conference Travel Grant, DeSci London, Awarded January 2023
• Conference Travel Grant, B.C. Community Forests, Awarded January 2023
• Nature Vancouver Graduate Scholarship, Awarded May 2022
• Shuttleworth Foundation Flash Grant, Awarded January 2021

Conference Presentations

• Brown, T.L. (2025). Sensing the Forest: Participatory Trail Assessment. Presentation at the Second International Conference on Forest Therapy, August, Vancouver, BC.
• Brown, T.L. (2024). Forest Bathing in Canada: A Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating Environmental Influence on Health. Presentation at The 26th IUFRO World Congress, T4.15 Healing Power of Nature: Forest Therapy in Action, June 23 to 29, Stockholm, Sweden.
• Brown, T.L. (2023). Designing Evidence-Based Forest Spaces: A Comparative Review of Japanese and Canadian Approaches. Presentation at the 3rd World Conference on Forests for Public Health, October 4 to 7, Sherbrooke, Quebec.
• Brown, T.L. (2023). Designing Health-Promoting Forest Spaces in BC’s Community Forests: Lessons from Japan’s Forest Therapy Trails. Poster session presented at the BC Community Forest Association Conference, June 7 to 9, Kamloops, BC.
• Brown, T.L. (2022). Sensing the Forest: Participatory Trail Assessment. Presentation at the International Conference on Forest Therapy, July 7 to 9, Vancouver, BC.

Peer Reviewed Work

• Brown, T.L. (2025). Forest bathing in Metro Vancouver, Canada: a randomized crossover study examining health outcomes and environmental and vegetation influences [Doctoral dissertation, University of British Columbia]. UBC cIRcle. https://doi.org/10.14288/1.0448266
• Brown, T.L. (2023). Forest Bathing. In S. Priest, S. Ritchie, and D. Scott (Eds.), Outdoor Learning in Canada. Open Resource Textbook. Retrieved from http://olic.ca

Non-Peer Reviewed Work

• Brown, T. (2019, October 3). Noise Pollution: How To Measure Its Effect On Your Health. Medium. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@tara/noise-pollution-how-to-measure-its-effect-on-your-health-d97a87d845bd
• Brown, T. (2019, August 9). Blend subjects and build skills. The Canadian. Retrieved from https://thecanadian.cccj.or.jp/blend-subjects-and-build-skills/

Public Outreach

• Brown, Tara Tiger (2024, June). ForestTherapy Guide. IUFRO World Congress.
• Brown, T.L. (2023, April). Forest Bathing Research Overview. Presented at the Pacific Spirit Park Society.
• Brown, T.L. (2022, May). Forest Bathing in B.C. Parks. Presented at the Salt Spring Trail and Nature Club, Salt Spring Island.
• Brown, T.L. (2022, April). Forest Bathing: Health and Wellbeing. Presented at the Arrowsmith Naturalists, Qualicum, B.C.
• Brown, T.L. (2022, February). Forest Bathing and Evidence-based Research. Presented at the Smithers Climate Action Group, Smithers, B.C.
• Institute for the Future (IFTF). (2020). IFTF Online Collaboration: Crowdsourcing Safety in Times of Crisis, Featuring Tara Brown of SafeCast [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92XIcwTEyKM
• Brown, T.L. (2017, April 22). Measuring Air Quality in Los Angeles. Presented at the March for Science Los Angeles.

Professional Memberships

• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT)
• Children and Nature Network
• Earth Charter Educators Network
• International Society of Nature and Forest Medicine (INFOM)
• Nature Vancouver
• North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)
• The GLOBE Program