Fossil Friday: ancient roots show how trees came to be

“So many dramatic changes occurred at that time as a result of those original forests that basically, the world has never been the same since,” scientists said.

Alexandru Micu by Alexandru Micu August 27, 2021 Reading Time: 4 mins read


Archeologists working in the Catskill region near Cairo, New York have found the fossilized roots of a 386-million-year old forest. The find showcases that the transition towards modern forests started much earlier than previously believed.

The fossil roots were found just 25 miles away from the site where the previous oldest forest was found. The root systems, although indicative of yet-primitive trees, showcase the transition towards forests as we know them today. Furthermore, they show that this shift began earlier in the Devonian Period than typically believed.



The rooting system of the ancient tree Archaeopteris at the Cairo fossil Forest site.
Image credits: Charles Ver Straeten

The root of progress

“The Devonian Period represents a time in which the first forest appeared on planet Earth,” says first author William Stein, an emeritus professor of biological science at Binghamton University, New York. “The effects were of first order magnitude, in terms of changes in ecosystems, what happens on the Earth’s surface and oceans, in global atmosphere, CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, and global climate.”

“So many dramatic changes occurred at that time as a result of those original forests that basically, the world has never been the same since.”