Washington, Apr 19 (ANI): An international research team has found evidence of the Earth’s earliest forest trees, dating back to 385 million years ago.

Upright stumps of the fossilised trees were uncovered in a flash flood in Gilboa, upstate New York, more than a century ago. However, until now, no one knew exactly how the entire tree looked like.

Two years ago, two fossils were found near Gilboa of trees that had fallen sideways, with their trunk, branches, twigs and crown still intact.

Dr Christopher Berry of Cardiff University, an expert who has studied tree fossils around the world, identified them as trunks belonging to the genus Wattieza, a fern-like plant.

Small fragments of Wattieza have been found in the past, but there was no direct evidence of how large the plant could grow.

Now, scientists know that the specimens reached at least eight metres in height and formed the first known forests on earth.

Of the trees, Dr Berry said: “This is a spectacular find, which has allowed us to recreate these early forest ecosystems. Branches from the trees would have fallen to the floor and decayed, providing a new food chain for the bugs living below”.

“This was also a significant moment in the history of the planet. The rise of the forests removed a lot of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This caused temperatures to drop and the planet became very similar to its present-day condition,” he said.

The findings are published in the April 19 edition of the journal Nature. (ANI)