"Friendly Fungi Help Forests Fight Climate Change"

"A forest is home to billions of living things, some of them too small to be seen by the naked eye. Collectively, these micro-scale species contribute more to our planet than most of us could imagine.

While we know that forests play a major role in countering global warming - acting as reservoirs for carbon - what is less well understood is how tiny organisms that dwell hidden in the soil help lock away our greenhouse gas emissions.

The trees in our forests absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they photosynthesise; their leaves, powered by sunlight, convert that carbon dioxide into oxygen and sugar. As a tree grows, the carbon becomes part of its woody "biomass"."

Zara Hussan reports for BBC News June 19, 2022.