Approximately 31% of Earth’s total land area (some 10 billion acres) is covered by forests. But when did woodlands first take root on our planet?
Recent findings by researchers at Cardiff University and the University of Cambridge have shed some light on this difficult question. Recently published in the Journal of the Geological Society, their study unveils details of the world's earliest known fossilized forest.
This ancient forest, dating back a staggering 390 million years, was unearthed from the sandstone cliffs along the Devon and Somerset coasts of southwest England, near Minehead on the south bank of the Bristol Channel.
Vaguely similar in appearance to modern-day palm trees or tree ferns, the trees of the fossilized forest belonged to the extinct Calamophyton genus. Rather than solid wood trunks, they had hollow trunks with branches covered in twigs (but no leaves). They were quite short, with the largest standing around 13 feet (4 m) tall. Alongside the Calamophyton trees, the researchers identified numerous other plant fossils, plant debris, tree logs, sedimentary structures, and root traces.
The Calamophyton fossils are the oldest trees ever found in Britain and the oldest known forest on Earth, taking the record from the Gilboa Fossil Forest in Schoharie County, New York. Though also from the Devonian period, the Gilboa tree stumps are thought to be around four million years younger than the Somerset fossils.
More about fossilized forests:
- During the Devonian period (between 419 million and 358 million years ago), the geography of Europe was drastically different from how it appears today. At that time, the area where the fossilized forest was discovered was connected to regions of Germany and Belgium further south, rather than being part of Britain.
- The emergence of forests during the Devonian period was a pivotal moment in Earth's history, as plants transitioned from wetlands to form inland woodlands, reshaping the planet's climate and giving rise to more complex habitats. The intricate root systems of these ancient trees played a crucial role in stabilizing sediment and altering the course of rivers and coastlines, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape.
- Although the Devonian period is called “The Age of the Fishes” due to the incredible proliferation of marine creatures, land animals also became well-established during this period, especially arthropods.
