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Climatic comfortability serves as a crucial factor in tourism decision making; however, there remains a gap in evaluating the climate comfort conditions specifically for forest therapy. We developed a new index—Forest Therapy Climate Comfort Index (FTCCI)—to evaluate the climate comfort conditions for forest therapy by integrating the Temperature (T), Temperature and Humidity Index (THI), and Wind Efficiency Index (WEI). A total of 26 potential forest therapy bases were selected from the protected areas in Xinjiang and divided into five clusters: Aksu cluster, Hami cluster, Altai cluster, Ili and its surrounding cluster, and Urumqi and its surrounding cluster. Based on the monthly observation data from 25 surface meteorological stations in Xinjiang, spanning from 1994 to 2023, employing the Co-Kriging interpolation method, we explored the spatial–temporal variation in FTCCI from June to September and made clear the climate comfort duration across 26 bases in Xinjiang. The results indicated that (1) The variation in T, THI, and WEI in 26 bases demonstrated a consistent pattern of temporal variation. July emerged as the optimal month, followed closely by August, with most indices in both months falling within the comfort level. Conversely, September proved to be the least favorable month due to frigid conditions and discomfort for the human body, whereas June’s sensation was slightly more tolerable. (2) The distribution of T, THI, and WEI showed regional heterogeneity. The Urumqi and its surrounding cluster displayed the most favorable conditions for forest therapy, whereas the Aksu cluster showed the poorest performance. (3) There were differences in both FTCCI and climate comfort duration among various clusters in Xinjiang. Overall, excluding Tomur Peak and Nalati (July and August), the remaining 24 bases offered ideal climate comfort conditions for forest therapy from mid to late June through August. Notably, the bases in Urumqi and its surrounding cluster had the longest climate comfort duration, ranging from 3.5 to 4 months. Therefore, reliance on the unique climate, resource, and geographical condition of each base is crucial in creating special forest therapy products that cater to the diverse health needs of tourists.

Air oxygen content, an essential index for measuring air quality, is affected by vegetation and the environment in the forest. However, the scientific understanding of the influential mechanism of air oxygen content in different vegetation types is still not clear. Focusing on four different vegetation types: broad-leaved forest, coniferous forest, coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest, and non-forest land within Shimen National Forest Park, China, the temporal dynamics of air oxygen content and its relationship with four environmental factors (temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and negative air ion concentration) in different vegetation types were explored based on path analysis and decision analysis. The results showed that there was a noteworthy impact of vegetation types on air oxygen content, with coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest (21.33 ± 0.42%) presenting the highest levels. The air oxygen content indicated a fundamentally consistent temporal pattern across different vegetation types, with the highest diurnal variation occurring at noon. It reached its peak in August and hit its nadir in December, with summer > spring > autumn > winter. In broad-leaved forest, the air oxygen content was determined by temperature, wind speed, negative air ion concentration, and relative humidity; in both coniferous forest and coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest, the air oxygen content was affected by temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity; in non-forest land, the air oxygen content was influenced by temperature and wind speed. Generally, temperature was the dominant factor affecting air oxygen content in different vegetation types, and its positive impact tremendously exceeded other environmental factors. Wind speed had a positive impact on air oxygen content in three forest communities but a negative effect on non-forest land. Relative humidity acted as a limiting factor for air oxygen content within three forest communities. Negative air ion concentration showed a significant positive correlation on air oxygen content in broad-leaved forest. Therefore, when planning urban forests to improve air quality and construct forest oxygen bars, it is recommended that the tree species composition should be given priority to the coniferous and broad-leaved mixed pattern. Meanwhile, make sure the understory space is properly laid out so that the forest microclimates are conducive to the release of oxygen by plants through photosynthesis.