World's oldest forest is discovered near New York City

Fossilized tree roots thought to be up to 20 feet [20 m] high were found at the bottom of a quarry in the Catschill region near the small town of Cairo.

The forest would have been at its peak during the Devonian era a time when most of life on Earth was in the oceans, according to researchers.

He's up to three million years older than the oldest guy found in Gilboa also in New York State, about 25 miles away.

Some of the fossilized roots are 20cm in diameter and form horizontal models, which are 35m long, spread from where tree trunks once stood, broadcast Kosovas.

The vast network of trees would have spread all the way to the neighboring state of Pennsylvania and beyond.

Scientists from Binghamton University say it is giving them a much deeper view of crossing the Earth into a forested planet.

An international team led by scientists at Binghamton University, New York State Museum and Cardiff University designed over 32,000 square metres of forest.

Researchers say that trees in the vast forest would have grown up to 20 feet [20 m] high, measuring up to five feet [1.5 m] in width.

Many fossils of visible fish on the surface suggest that the lush vegetation was eventually wiped out by a flood, according to researchers from Cardiff University.

The “was a surprise to find plants that were previously thought to have had two-way habitats that grew in the same space”, Chris Berry of Cardiff University said.

The forest flourished during the Devonian period, commonly known as the fishpot, which includes 419 to 319 million years ago long before the dinosaurs walked on Earth.

The team now hopes to continue investigating the Catschill region and compare their findings to fossil forests worldwide.