Scientists from the USA have discovered the world's oldest forest near New York: it is already 386 million years old
American scientists have announced the discovery of the oldest forest in the world, located near New York City. It has been revealed that trees grew here earlier than anywhere else on Earth, but this is the first time that the forest has been properly studied to determine the age of the plants and trees that grow there.
After analysis, scientists have found evidence of some very ancient plants that grew here 386 million years ago. According to the BBC, even dinosaurs have seen some of these trees and bushes.
Teams from Binghamton University in the United States and the University of Cardiff in Wales believe that the forest used to extend for about 400 kilometers.
The study of this area began in 2019. Even then, scientists suggested that the forest at the bottom of a quarry in a place called Cairo, New York, is the oldest in the world.
However, it took some time to study the plants. Many of the fossilized trees found in this forest could have reproduced through spores, scientists believe.
This is similar to how mushrooms reproduce. People are accustomed to thinking that trees in forests grow by reproducing through seeds, but millions of years ago, this was not the case.