Trees have been in the news a lot recently. A tree in Sweden was discovered to be around 10,000 years old, making it the oldest on Earth. African Frankincense trees are facing extinction. 

But what about an entire forest, nestled in Scandinavia, of trees that survived the last Ice Age? BBC is reporting that while scientists initially believed that the Ice Age wiped out all plant life in the region some 9,000 years ago, some Scandanavian conifers managed to live through the event. And while no evidence of a 9,000-year-old forest exist, certain Scandanavian conifer species are genetically identical to their pre-Ice Age ancestors. 

Science researchers conducted DNA studies on modern spruce trees and concluded that their tree ancestors probably found small, secluded areas to habitate. 

“One hypothesis is that trees were able to survive on the top of nunataks, the exposed ridges of peaks of mountains protruding from glacial cover, or in more sheltered areas close to the coast where proximity to the temperate conditions of the Atlantic Ocean favoured survival,” said Laura Parducci, of the University of Uppsala.  

So humans, watch out: who knew trees had such fierce instincts? Maybe that M. Night Shyamalan movie where trees decide humans are destroying the world and emit toxins into the air to the kill them is going to come true. Wicked. 

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Jessica Carroll is the Toronto Standard’s editorial assistant. Follow her on Twitter at @jssckr.

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