India, June 14 -- It's a bit like a dystopian forest fable.

Some trees are quietly preparing for the climate crisis, with a little human help.

They are doing this by leveraging networks with fungi and bacteria; they are entering into standoffs with certain kinds of microbes. Results are mixed but, in some cases, promising.

In experiments underway around the world, trees are essentially being introduced to atmospheric conditions that are expected to prevail by 2050.

After that point, researchers admit, the Amazon rainforest could be on its way to becoming a savannah or arid grassland. If that happens, it is hard to say what might become of the world's trees (or humans and other life forms). Alternately, we may have mended our ways and ...