It is common knowledge that planting trees tackles the causes of climate change by absorbing carbon emissions. Less known is the fact that forests also treat the symptoms of climate change, whether they are heatwaves, drought or crumbling coastal towns.

Here's how. The outsize potential of trees to halt the climate crisis has generated a lot of media buzz recently, and rightly so - trees have an enormous capacity to absorb carbon emissions. Yet something crucial is missing from these stories. Forests don't just absorb carbon; they also defend us from its most devastating impacts.