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Fossil preserved in southwest England shows how primitive trees altered soils, rivers, and landscapes during the Middle Devonian
When talking about the **Earth’s oldest forest**, many imagine preserved tropical areas, such as the Amazon. However, the oldest known record is not alive. It was preserved in rocks in southwest England, dating back approximately **390 million years**.
In turn, the discovery was located in the **Hangman Sandstone Formation**, a geological structure dating from the **Middle Devonian**. Thus, the find surpassed the old record from Cairo, New York, in the United States, estimated at around **386 million years old**, according to **IFLScience**.
Why the discovery is noteworthy
The find gained importance because researchers from the universities of **Cambridge** and **Cardiff** identified fossilized tree trunks still in growth position. Along with this, they found a large quantity of plant remains in the same location.
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390 million years later, the oldest forest ever recorded on Earth reappears fossilized in England and reveals the turning point at which primitive trees began to act as a biogeomorphic force in the transformation of the planet.
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Thus, scientists concluded that the area did not merely contain isolated plants. On the contrary, the remains indicated a **dense, structured, and much older forest** than previously known records.
What these primitive trees were like
In that environment, the dominant vegetation was formed by plants from the **cladoxylopsid** group. Among them, **Calamophyton** stood out as one of the most important species identified in the fossilized assemblage.
Still, these trees were relatively small. They reached between **2 and 4 meters in height**, but played an essential role in the evolution of the first terrestrial ecosystems.
How this forest began to transform the planet
According to researchers, the local sediments revealed environmental changes caused by these first forests. As a result, the trees began to directly influence the soil and watercourses.
Similarly, the remains show that these environments began to shape the formation of the terrestrial landscape. Therefore, the fossilized forest helps explain a decisive phase of the planet’s ecological transformations.
At the same time, traces of ancient animals were also found in the region. Thus, the environment already supported more complex life forms during the **Middle Devonian**.
What changes in the history of forests
Previously, the oldest known record was in Cairo, New York state. However, the discovery in southwest England changed this scientific understanding.
Thus, the fossils show that primitive trees already formed complex forest environments approximately **390 million years ago**. Therefore, the study conducted by the universities of **Cambridge** and **Cardiff** reinforces how these first trees influenced soils, rivers, and natural landscapes from very ancient periods.
**After all, how many other ancestral forests might still be hidden beneath geological formations scattered across the planet?**
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