How did oak trees get here?

[Tom from Clayton]

For those wondering check this out.

How Oak Trees Evolved to Rule the Forests of the Northern Hemisphere

Genomes and fossils reveal their remarkable evolutionary history

www.scientificamerican.com

 

[Martin Roper]

Interesting article.

It's interesting how the British Isles reacquired oaks after they were destroyed in the Ice Age. The English Channel and North Sea didn't exist until fairly recent times. During the last glacial period northern Europe was either under a glacier or a frozen tundra which would not have supported deciduous trees. As the ice retreated, oaks moved back north from southern France at a pace of about 25 yards per year, about what you'd expect from dropping acorns.