"UK Unearths Oldest Fossilized Forest at 390 Million Years Old"
Fossilized trees discovered in southwest England have been identified as belonging to Earth's earliest-known forest, dating back 390 million years, making it the oldest known forest, surpassing the previous record held by the Gilboa fossil forest in New York. The newly discovered forest, which hosted a single type of plant called cladoxylopsids, sheds light on the evolution of forests and plant ecology during the Middle Devonian period. The finding suggests a sudden takeoff in forest-type environments around 390 million years ago and provides insight into the ancient ecosystem and the small critters that inhabited it.