{
  "id": 2814767,
  "title": "Earth’s forests took 100,000 years to recover from the last climate shock — this one is moving 10 times faster",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/earths-forests-took-100-000-years-to-recover-from-the-last-climate",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-23T15:17:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/08/23/forests-recovery-time-climate-warming-fossils/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "About 56 million years ago, Earth's forests faced a turning point during one of the planet's most intense periods of greenhouse warming. As temperatures soared by up to 11°F (6°C), the canopies of these forests began to thin as heat and drought took their toll, killing numerous trees. The exposed ground received more sunlight, altering the water cycle and altering the make-up of the forest. In southern Wyoming, ferns briefly thrived where relatives of elms, walnuts, dawn redwood, and avocado trees had once been, followed by palms and other warmth-loving plants. A new study published in Science reveals how these Wyoming forests lost 60% of their canopy during this period known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), a natural analog to today's rapid warming. Understanding this past event may help humanity recognize similar thresholds before the planet crosses them again. By analyzing microscopic plant cuticles from fossil leaves, paleobotanists used a technique called leaf area index to measure the density of ancient forests. This metric, which reflects the amount of light reaching the forest floor, provided a clear indicator of forest function. The fossil record showed that forests did not enter the PETM in decline, but rather reached their greatest density in hundreds of thousands of years before the rapid warming began. As temperatures rose, heat and drought overwhelmed the benefits of higher carbon dioxide levels, causing the canopy to rapidly thin and remain thin for over 100,000 years. The loss of canopy cover altered the surrounding environment, changing soil composition and water flow. The study underscores the importance of recognizing similar thresholds before the planet experiences another PETM-like event, with higher carbon dioxide levels now stimulating similar ecosystem changes.",
  "summary": "Tree fossils that are 56 million years old are trying to tell us something about how long forests take to bounce back from extreme heat.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}