5 European Trees to Explore in Forest Therapy

When we enter a park or forest, we are surrounded by many trees, often of different species. It is natural to wonder whether some are better suited than others for a forest therapy practice.

In reality, there is no universally ‘best’ tree. What matters most is how you feel in its presence — rather like meeting another person.

Some trees nevertheless draw our attention through their size, shape, history or symbolism. Here are five species you can encounter easily in Europe and explore during forest therapy.

The oak

A defining tree of many European landscapes, the oak — genus Quercus — includes hundreds of species. Here I will focus on the pedunculate or English oak, Quercus robur, a magnificent, powerful tree that readily evokes solidity and endurance.

Pedunculate oaks support extraordinary biodiversity among their branches, bark, roots and leaf litter. Ancient oaks can live for many centuries and often stand like landmarks in the countryside.

With their broad crowns stretching far around them, these are the oaks of old paths, villages and Celtic imagination. Many people describe a strong feeling of shelter beneath an oak — almost like coming home. In autumn, of course, you may have to share the place with squirrels and wild boar looking for acorns. 😉

The acorn becoming a vast oak is also a beautiful metaphor: something very small can contain immense potential, given time, patience and persistence.

Oak timber has supported European buildings for centuries. Expressions comparing strength to an oak reflect this long cultural association with stability. In forest therapy, leaning against an oak may therefore become a symbolic invitation to explore strength, courage and rootedness.

Yet strength does not mean invulnerability. Large branches can fail under stress, and an oak can also become a reminder that endurance has limits — a useful metaphor for rest, flexibility and knowing when not to carry everything alone.

Oak is often a favourite among forest therapy participants, so it naturally comes first in this list. Personally, I have asked myself many times whether I have a favourite tree. I have never managed to choose. 😄

Fortunately, magnificent oaks are abundant across our landscapes, and we meet several during the spiritual forest therapy training I lead. If you are considering a professional change, you may also enjoy my mini-guide before starting forest therapy training ;)

The sweet chestnut

Mysterious chestnut, venerable elder. The sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) is sometimes overlooked, yet individual specimens can live for many centuries — occasionally more than a thousand years. In old woodland, a mature chestnut can be an unforgettable encounter.

Its twisting branches can suggest dragons and serpents to the imagination. On a December evening at dusk, the atmosphere can be wonderfully mysterious. 🙂

Its old bark and cavities often shelter insects, spiders and many other small animals. Beyond its edible chestnuts — not to be confused with toxic horse chestnuts — the tree has long provided durable timber, generous shade and food for wildlife. Its buds also feature in some traditional gemmotherapy preparations.

In European folklore and my own symbolic approach, the chestnut carries a sense of old wisdom, strength and peace. In forest therapy, there is no need to hug it: simply sit beneath its canopy, breathe and observe the abundance of life around you — including the many tiny creatures living on the trunk.

In a symbolic or spiritual reading, I associate the chestnut with the feminine principle and with rebuilding a gentler relationship to that part of ourselves, whatever our gender. One later mythological tradition links the chestnut with the nymph Nea, transformed into a tree after fleeing Jupiter — a story that has contributed to the tree’s symbolism.

And in English, Castanea sativa is called “sweet chestnut” — a name that suits it rather well. 🙂

The plane tree

Another giant. The London plane, commonly planted across western Europe, is a hybrid generally known as Platanus × hispanica (also called Platanus × acerifolia). It became widely planted in western Europe from the early modern period onward — and what a presence it has acquired.

Large plane trees can develop massive trunks and reach impressive heights. They have traditionally been planted in squares, streets and avenues because they grow well in urban environments and provide generous shade.

A vigorous plane tree also makes its presence known: powerful roots can lift pavements, autumn leaves cover streets, and a trunk planted too close to a wall will eventually remind us who needs the space more.

In parts of Europe, plane trees are threatened by canker stain, a serious fungal disease. In affected areas, infected trees may have to be removed to limit spread.

In my forest therapy symbolism, the plane evokes light and strength. Its pale, mottled trunk can resemble an elephant’s skin, while golden autumn leaves create a remarkable luminous atmosphere beneath the canopy.

Its broad trunk can also make the plane a particularly inviting tree for tree hugging.

The willow

The willow genus, Salix, contains many species that hybridise readily. Because willows are so closely associated with water and damp ground, I naturally connect them symbolically with emotion.

You will find willows beside ponds, lakes and rivers: white willow, goat willow, weeping willow and many cultivated forms. In my own intuitive relationship with trees, I often experience willows as gentle, companionable presences.

Humans have long lived closely with willows, planting them in gardens, weaving living fences from their flexible shoots and using willow rods for basketry. Willow bark also contains salicin; its study contributed historically to the development of salicylate medicines, including aspirin.

In the garden where I live, there is a large twisting, weeping willow. In the language of my own intuitive practice, I experience it as a gentle joker — attentive and full of good advice.

Symbolically, the willow is the companion of tears, rooted in wet ground and able to move large quantities of water. Its soft, flexible form also makes many willows appealing to children, although climbing any tree should always be approached with care.

Many willow species are pioneers, among the plants capable of quickly colonising disturbed or newly exposed ground — a trait they share with birches and other hardy species.

Willows lend themselves beautifully to human metaphor: resilient because many species root readily from cuttings, flexible in wind, mobile across river landscapes and wonderfully musical when their leaves move. Some live for roughly a human lifetime, while others survive considerably longer.

The birch

How I love white birches with golden leaves. One of my earliest moments of wonder was watching birch crowns sway in the wind, their golden leaves standing out against a blue sky.

Birch is another tree that can be overlooked. To me it is a tree of light, with its pale bark and airy crown: Betula at your service.

Among the most widespread European species are Betula pendula (silver birch) and its former name B. verrucosa, as well as Betula pubescens, the downy birch. B. pendula is particularly known for striking white bark, while B. pubescens has its own elegant form. Hornbeam could easily have earned a place in this article too.

Reaching around 20–25 metres depending on species and conditions, birch is an elegant pioneer tree. Birches can form extensive stands and rapidly colonise open or disturbed ground.

A stand can seem to ‘move’ across a landscape over generations as young birches establish at one edge while older individuals die elsewhere. Ecologically, this reflects population dynamics; in my spiritual interpretation, it can also become a beautiful image of collective life and continuity.

In my symbolic forest therapy practice, birch is associated with renewal and clearing what has become heavy. Birch sap is also traditionally harvested in spring in parts of Europe. Ecologically, birches can establish on poor or acidic soils and help create conditions in which other species later grow.

The movement of its fine branches invites playfulness, spontaneity and creativity. For painters, photographers or simply attentive walkers, birch can become an invitation to look closely and rediscover our own creative impulse.

Symbolically, I associate birch with a gentle feminine quality — not a matter of gender, but of sensitivity, receptivity and creative movement.

For me, birch embodies movement and life.

Conclusion

This introduction to five wonderful trees should not make you believe that a forest therapy encounter needs the ‘right’ species. Choose first through attention and curiosity rather than a checklist. A small, crooked or unfamiliar tree can create just as meaningful an encounter as a famous ancient oak. Have you ever experienced that during a tree hug ?

Still curious? You could also ask for a forest therapy gift card — a lovely way to celebrate a birthday with friends or family.

Many other trees could have appeared here: hornbeam, poplar, beech, ash, spruce, larch, holly, hazel, hawthorn, elder and many more.

We meet many of them during my five-day Spiritual Forest Therapy & Plant Consciousness training at the Ranch in Mouzeil, between Nantes and Angers in western France.

Even if there were only one tree on your walk — and it was not on this list — it would still have something essential to offer simply by being there beside you.