Oldest Pine Tree?

Scientists have discovered pine twigs believed to be 140 million years old.

16:46 15 March 2016

Scientists have discovered the oldest-known fossil of a pine tree believed to be 140 million years old, when fires raged across large tracts of land.

 

The fossils were discovered in Nova Scotia in Canada by Dr Howard Falcon-Lang of Royal Holloway, University of London. He said:  "Pines are well adapted to fire today," 

 

"The fossils show that wildfires raged through the earliest pine forests and probably shaped the evolution of this important tree."

 

The specimens were preserved as charcoal within rocks from a quarry.

 

"It was only when I digested [the samples] in acid that these beautiful fossils fell out” added Dr Falcon-Lang.

 

"They were sitting in my cupboard for five years before I actually worked out what was there."

 

Based on his research, the fossils are likely to have come from trees that resemble Scots Pine that covers a large area of Scotland.

 

"One of the oddities about pine trees today is that they are one of the most fire adapted species on our planet," explained Dr Falcon-Lang.

 

"These oldest pine fossils are preserved as charcoal, the product of fire, suggesting that the co-occurrence of fire and pines is something that's very ancient, that goes back to the very origin of these first pine trees."