The world’s oldest forest It is not hidden in the most random and unreachable place, as many would believe. It’s right in the Catskill Mountains of New York, near a small town called Cairo, just a couple of hours north of the city.
The forest isn’t standing anymore. What’s left are fossils, roots and plant remains locked in stone. Scientists say this spot is about 385 million years old. That’s long before dinosaurs. These trees were some of the very first to put down deep roots, make real soil, and change the air. Basically, this was the moment the evolution of life on land really took off.
Researchers from SUNY Binghamton and Cardiff University have studied the site for years. Their work confirmed it’s the oldest forest we’ve ever found. And not far away, the town of Gilboa has another ancient forest, just a few million years younger. Together, these two sites make New York one of the most important places on Earth for understanding the very beginning of forests.
A quarry with a secret
In 2009, an abandoned quarry outside Cairo turned out to be hiding something incredible. At first it just looked like rock. But scientists realized they were walking across the floor of a forest frozen in time. The roots of ancient trees were still there, etched into the stone.
Christopher Berry, a researcher at Cardiff University, explained it perfectly: “You are walking through the roots of ancient trees. Standing on the quarry surface we can reconstruct the living forest around us in our imagination.”
The quarry belongs to the town of Cairo, and it’s closed off to protect the fossils. You can’t just wander in — it’s too fragile. But what scientists have uncovered there has changed how we understand Earth’s past.
Why scientists believe this forest matters
These plants from 385 million years ago were pioneers. Before forests, land was mostly bare. Then these trees arrived with deep roots. They pulled carbon dioxide from the air, created real soil, and cooled the climate. Without that shift, life on Earth would have looked very different… and humans might never have come along at all.
The world’s oldest forest shows us the exact moment Earth started looking like the planet we live on today. It’s about more than trees—it’s about the very beginning of ecosystems, the start of the evolution of life on land.
And this wasn’t just a tiny patch. The Cairo forest once stretched for hundreds of miles. It was massive, and it laid the groundwork for every forest that came after.
Cairo, Gilboa, and the Catskills today
In Cairo, tucked in the heart of New York’s Catskill Mountains, scientists uncovered the remains of the world’s oldest forest — preserved for an incredible 385 million years. Fossils studied by researchers from SUNY Binghamton and Cardiff University give us a rare look at the very beginnings of life on land.
While Cairo takes the title, Gilboa, just a short drive away, has its own ancient forest too. It’s slightly younger, but still nearly as old. Together, the two towns tell the story of how forests first spread across the Earth.
You can’t actually check out the quarry in Cairo, but the Catskills are full of things to do. You can hike in Catskill Park, ski at Windham Mountain, or just hang out in Hudson with its great food and art. The wild part is knowing those hills are sitting on top of the world’s oldest forest, it makes the whole place feel pretty magical.
Together with the famous Gilboa fossil forest, this discovery is a reminder that history isn’t always hidden in far-off places. Sometimes, it’s just a short drive away, right beneath our feet.