The first forests
Trees eight metres tall grow in New York State, and land acquires a canopy.
- When
- Known to
- ± 3 million years
- Era
- Devonian, Paleozoic
The Gilboa fossil forest, around 385 million years old, preserves the stumps and one intact crown of Wattieza — a cladoxylopsid with a trunk, a crown of frond-like branches, and no leaves as such. Growing in dense stands, these are the first true forests. Their shade, litter and root systems create entirely new habitats, and their remains begin locking carbon into sediment.