The Forest

From ancient trees and hidden fungi to the insects and animals that shape our forests – scientists are revealing how forest ecosystems can help tackle the climate crisis and biodiversity loss.

There are more trees on Earth than stars in our galaxy. Could they be key in the race to tackle the climate crisis? A young ecologist calculated the power of forests to absorb carbon, but his research triggered mass tree planting projects around the world – that came at the expense of biodiversity. This is the story of the scientists fighting back to show that forests can help tackle the climate emergency if the interconnected webs of life at the heart of healthy forests are allowed to thrive.