UK Scientists Uncover World's Oldest Forest Fossils in Devon

The fossils, representing the most ancient known forest remains, were uncovered in the sandstone cliffs along the coastlines of Devon and Somerset in the southwestern region of England. These significant fossils have been dated to at least 390 million years ago.

Teams from the esteemed Cambridge and Cardiff universities in the UK conducted the analysis of this remarkable discovery.

This forest, as indicated by the research, predates the previously oldest known fossilized forest by about four million years, with the former record-holder's fossils found in New York State, USA.

The forest traces back to the Devonian period, which spanned from 419 to 358 million years ago—an era marked by the significant expansion of life onto land. The culmination of this period saw the advent of seed plants on land and the dominance of arthropods.

At a cursory glance, the discovered fossilized tree fragments bear a resemblance to palms. Unlike contemporary trees, their trunks were hollow rather than filled with wood, and they lacked leaves, featuring branches adorned with small twig-like structures.

These primordial trees were considerably shorter than their modern counterparts, with the tallest among them reaching only between 6.5 to 13 feet in height. As these trees grew, they would shed their branches, resulting in a layer of litter on the ground which provided habitation for invertebrates.