Assembly Resolution No. 763

BY: M. of A. Tague

RECOGNIZING the Cairo, New York, prehistoric
forest, located in the majestic Northern Catskill
Mountains in upstate New York, as the oldest fossil
forest in the world on April 24, 2020

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to acknowledge
and appreciate those researchers who study historic and prehistoric
sites and physical remains to better understand human links to the past
and to preserve past cultures; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
recognize the Cairo, New York, prehistoric forest, located in the
majestic Northern Catskill Mountains in upstate New York, as the oldest
fossil forest in the world; and

WHEREAS, This auspicious occasion will be observed on Friday, April
24, 2020, at a community Arbor Day Ceremony celebrating this incredible
historic discovery and the outstanding efforts of those organizations
which diligently work to protect our trees and woodlands; and

WHEREAS, The Catskills are well known in American culture, both as
the setting for films and works of art, including many 19th Century
Hudson River School paintings, as well as for being a favored
destination for vacationers from New York City in the mid-20th Century;
and

WHEREAS, The Catskill mountains are also known for its cache of
Devonian fossils, which represents a period of time in which the first
forest appeared on planet Earth, changing the ecosystem forever; and

WHEREAS, More than a decade ago, a research team led by Professor
Emeritus of Biological Science William Stein from Binghamton University,
was sifting through fossil soils at a quarry behind the Cairo Highway
Department when they discovered the root system of trees thought to be
385 million years old; and

WHEREAS, The site is just 2 to 3 million years older than what was
previously believed to be the world's oldest forest, in Gilboa, New
York, less than 30 miles away; and

WHEREAS, On Thursday, December 19, 2019, the research team published
their findings in the journal Current Biology, explaining the transition
to forests as we know them today was earlier than previously thought;
and

WHEREAS, Researchers identified three unique root systems at the
site: a palm-like tree called Eospermatopteris which grew
opportunistically like weeds, Archaeopteris which hinted at the
seed-bearing plants to come 10 million years later, and a tree belonging
to the class Lyscopsida, which was previously thought to originate
during the Carboniferous period; and

WHEREAS, The rooting structures at the Cairo site appear identical
to great trees of the Carboniferous coal swamps with fascinating
elongate roots, and the Archaeopteris tree's branching woody roots, are
the first underground rooting structures to be seen in a fossil forest;
and

WHEREAS, This monumental discovery helps to explain what ancient
Catskill delta forests were like, and gives scientists the opportunity
to understand past environments in order to predict future global
transformation; and

WHEREAS, Fossil trees have a story to tell, and their remains can
tell us about those earlier times in Earth's history, and provide
previews of what may happen as our planet's climate changes; now,
therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
recognize the Cairo, New York, prehistoric forest, located in the
majestic Northern Catskill Mountains in upstate New York, as the oldest
fossil forest in the world; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to William Stein, Professor Emeritus, Binghamton University,
and John Coyne, Supervisor, Town of Cairo.