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Fossils of a tropical forest in the Arctic, especially in Svalbard, Norway, were found by researchers. They have been dated back to 380 million years ago.

This is the earth's oldest forest.The research team suggests that it may have led to the dramatic drop in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels at that time, according to Live Science.

John Marshall from Southampton University and Chris Berry of Cardiff University studied the tropical Arctic forests, using the spores from the rocks to understand the age of the fossils, discovering that it was 20 million years older than had been assumed.

The fossils were concluded to be from the Devonian period. That was the era that had been explained to be from the beginning of forest ecosystems, according to Inquisitr.

"It's amazing that we've uncovered one of the very first forests in the very place that is now being used to preserve the Earth's plant diversity," Berry said.

As Svalbard region's temperatures seem to be indicative of preservation of organic samples, biologists have identified it as the site for the Doomsday Seed Vault, which is a treasure house of seed samples from everywhere.

The study was published in the journal Geology.